SUTAADASUTOO
by Kuroi Hakuchou
Summary: Higurashi Kagome is enjoying her new life in the Gotei 13 as the Thirteenth Division's lieutenant. But what happens when her life is turned upside down by Third Division's Ichimaru Gin, who has taken a sudden interest in her? Kag/Gin
1. Ominous Premonition

Ugh, crappy summary... Anyway...here it is, my first Inu/Bleach crossover! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. InuYasha is the property of Takahashi Rumiko and Bleach is the property of Kubo Tite. So back off, lawyers! Hyaa!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter I: Ominous Premonition**

-o-o-o-

_Thin and pale hands  
__Smirking with a fox's smile  
__Silver stardust hair_

-o-o-o-

Like in most of the barracks in the Gotei 13, the Third Division's barracks were relatively quiet. The only sounds that drifted through the air were the sounds of the division's members drilling themselves in order to perform their best, or the occasional yell of pain from the barrack's dojo, where the squad members tried to perfect their sword-fighting abilities.

All of these sounds went unnoticed to one Higurashi Kagome, who was currently huffing and puffing her way down one of the long corridors in the barracks. The only sounds she was aware of was her own labored breathing and her sandals clacking on the wooden floor. In her arms was a large stack of paperwork, filled out and signed by her own taichou (squad-captain), Ukitake Juushirou.

Usually, Kagome wasn't ordered to do things like this from Ukitake-taichou, since she was currently the Thirteenth Division's fukutaichou (assistant squad-captain). The ones who would have gladly done what she was doing now were co-Third Seats Kotetsu Kiyone and Kotsubaki Sentarou, who would have probably fought over who got to carry what amount of paperwork. At least _they_ would have been able to divide the load between them.

Unfortunately, Kiyone and Sentarou had been on another errand for Ukitake-taichou, and were unavailable. Since Kagome was the only other choice that the bedridden taichou had, Ukitake had ordered Kagome to deliver all of his finished paperwork to various taichou around the Gotei 13. A sweatdropping Ukitake had then waved Kagome out his door, watching the small woman try not to stagger beneath her load of folders and other papers.

'_Dammit! Why does Ukitake-taichou have to have all of his paperwork delivered at the same time?_' thought a disgruntled Kagome, her arms straining under the weight of all of the folders.

She knew that she shouldn't mentally berate Ukitake like that; what with being stuck in bed for days at time, the white-haired captain hardly had any time to fill out the necessary paperwork and get it delivered before the date it was due.

So far, she had delivered paperwork to Ukitake's long-time friend and fellow captain, Shunsui Kyouraku, the stoic captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Byakuya, and the fight-loving captain of the Eleventh Divison, Zaraki Kenpachi – she had used shunpo (flash steps) to help her get around the enormous expanse of the Gotei 13 at a faster pace.

Currently, she was heading to the office of the captain of the Third Division, Ichimaru Gin, who was probably one of the strangest captains that Kagome had ever met.

The first time she had met him, she had noted how tall and skinny he was; she was just over five feet, and he easily passed six, making him taller than her by more than a foot. The second thing she had noted was the color of his hair – silver, and probably where his name came from – and she knew that she was screwed; she had always had a weakness for guys with silver hair.

Ichimaru-taichou's face distinctly reminded her of a fox's, what with his eyes mostly closed practically all the time and his mouth nearly always curled into a mocking, but strangely polite smirk. Kagome sometimes wondered how the guy got around without running into walls.

And she was very cautious around him. Along with her weakness for argent-haired men, Ichimaru Gin's very presence kept her on edge, making her somewhat nervous around him. She never said more than she had to around him, and made sure to keep her comments polite. To put it bluntly, Ichimaru Gin reminded her of a conman or a blackmailer (1), as he always seemed to be listening intently to her in case she let _something_ slip, _something_ that he could use against her. And conmen could never be trusted.

Seeing Ichimaru-taichou's office door, Kagome sucked in a deep breath, tucked her load tighter against her stomach, and half-sprinted to his door. Once she was just outside, she released her breath in a loud puff and panted to get more oxygen into her system. Once she got her wind back, she found herself faced with another dilemma: Knocking on the door.

Kagome looked down at the load in her arms and nearly groaned in frustration. Raising her left knee, she attempted to balance the paperwork folders against her thigh. It took several seconds before she got the stack to stop wobbling around, and then a few more to find her balance while standing on one leg.

Satisfied, Kagome looked up and the sliding shoji door, and raised her fist to knock. And right at that second, the door slid open abruptly, and Kagome found herself looking up into the smirking face of Ichimaru Gin.

"Oh? So it was you, Higurashi-fukutaichou," said Ichimaru suavely, his smirk widening; Kagome briefly wondered how he managed to make her title sound like a term of endearment.

Kagome's face flushed, since she was standing in a somewhat awkward position, and in front of a taichou, no less. Flustered, she gathered the folders up into her arms haphazardly and put her leg back down.

"Sumimasen, Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome quickly, her hands slipping on the sleek folders. "I just came to deliver some paperwork–"

Ichimaru, who seemed to have noticed that she was having trouble with the stack of paperwork, interrupted her.

"Here, let me help ya with that," he said, reaching out and grabbing the pile of folders.

Kagome jumped both in surprise – at this chivalrous gesture from Ichimaru Gin, from all people – and shock – when she felt his large, spidery hands slide over hers as he took the paperwork. She barely managed to keep herself from squeaking in surprise.

She was even more surprised when Ichimaru simply turned around and strode into his office, leaving Kagome no choice but to scurry after him. She blinked when he placed the folders down on the front edge of his desk, before returning to the other side where his chair was. Kagome barely noted that he had been doing paperwork of his own before she had arrived, put back in their proper folders so that their content was hidden from all eyes but Ichimaru's.

Kagome made sure that she was in front of his desk as well when he reached out with a long arm and began sifting through the various folders before him.

"Hmm, mine aren't even on top. Ya gotta be more organized than that, Higurashi-fukutaichou," stated Ichimaru chidingly, wagging his finger at her and tsking disapprovingly.

Kagome didn't fail to notice that his thin fingers managed to pluck out his Division's color-coded folders – Third Division's official color was azure – as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"Sumimasen, Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome, bowing with a scarlet face. "I'll be mindful of that in the future."

"Good," said Ichimaru, sounding pleased. "Now don't ya have to deliver the rest of these?"

He gestured at the stack of folders, and Kagome realized that he was right. She also realized that he was practically kicking her out, in his own polite but mocking way.

"Of course," said Kagome humbly, nodding in affirmation. "I'm sorry to have taken some of your time, Ichimaru-taichou."

She gathered the now-smaller stack of folders and clutched them to her bosom, giving Ichimaru a short bow.

"Sumimasen," she said politely.

Ichimaru responded by cocking his head slightly, and his slitted eyes seemed to narrow at her, as if he were examining her. His smirk, meanwhile, remained in place. Kagome wondered if he had lost the ability to _not_ smirk.

Turning around, she headed for the open shoji door, her dainty feet making barely any noise on the tatami mats below. As soon as Kagome turned and reached, somewhat handicapped, for the hand slot in the shoji door, she barely contained her gasp of surprise when she saw that Ichimaru had followed her all the way to the door. His tall, lanky form towered over her, and she hastily took a half-step back in order to get some space.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she realized that she hadn't sensed him or even _heard_ him when she had been exiting the room. Then again, that was why _he_ was a captain, and _she_ was not.

Ichimaru acted as if he hadn't literally snuck up behind her, though he cocked his head at her again, his smirk somewhat contemplative.

"See ya later, Higurashi-fukutaichou," he said in a somewhat casual manner; again, Kagome wondered if there would be a difference between him calling her by the suffix –fukutaichou or –chan.

"U-un," said an unsettled Kagome, managing a tiny bow, a slight leaning forward of her torso.

Then she quickly turned away from him and began making her escape back down the hall. She had to force herself to maintain a reasonable pace; not too slow –enough to make her look lazy – and not too fast – to the point she looked like she was frightened. And she _was_ somewhat scared of Ichimaru-taichou, in the way that most subordinates were scared in some way of their superiors.

Now she had something to add to that fear as she felt Ichimaru's eyes – what color were they, anyway? – bore into her back with such intensity that Kagome wanted to run as if the hounds of hell were at her heels. There was something unsettling and strangely alluring about his presence; maybe Ichimaru was secretly a vampire.

The thought was so absurd that Kagome nearly snorted out loud; she wasn't one to deny that vampires existed, but rather that anything amiss would be sensed immediately by the more powerful shinigami (death gods) in the Seireitei.

Putting on a determined face, Kagome made sure that she walked at the same pace long after she had left the Third Division's barracks, so that she proved to Ichimaru that she wasn't a coward.

Or maybe he had simply dismissed her from his mind as soon as she was out of his sight. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) Doesn't he? LOL

-o-o-o-

Did you like it? Huh? Huh? Huh? I know, it's kinda weird that I picked Ichimaru Gin of all people, but he's one of my favorites. There is something utterly lovable and yet disturbing about him at the same time. Or is it just me? Hmm…

Remember to REVIEW! If I get some positive reviews, I'll start uploading the other chapters I've finished.

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	2. Peaceful Afternoon

Just as I promised, here is another chapter. Sorry that it's short.

Disclaimer: Does it look like I own InuYasha or Bleach? ***whistles innocently*** Bah, you can't fool anyone! Fine, I don't down own 'em!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter II: Peaceful Afternoon**

-o-o-o-

_Beneath her smile  
__Dark memories roam sadly  
__Hidden painfully_

-o-o-o-

"Kagome-chan, can you deliver this for me?"

Ukitake Juushirou was sitting up in bed, his sheets surprisingly neat despite him having spent nearly two weeks resting here at Ugendou, his family estate. His face was pale and thin due to his ever-present tuberculosis, though his friendly brown eyes shone with strength and determination.

Kagome blinked in surprise when Ukitake held out a familiar, azure-coded folder; she noticed that this one was quite thick.

"That's…" she said with realization, her sapphire gaze lifting up into Ukitake's.

"I hadn't finished this one last week. I would have asked Kiyone or Sentarou to deliver it, but they're getting my medicine from Unohana-taichou," said Ukitake hoarsely, sending her a sheepish look as she took the folder from his thin hand.

"_This_ is what you've been doing while you've been in bed?" asked an outraged Kagome. "You're supposed to be _resting_, not filling out paperwork! If you need it done, you should ask me to do it!"

"I know!" said Ukitake, putting up a hand to try and calm her famous wrath. "But you have your own duties to attend to, along with the ones I shift over to you when I'm ill. As captain of the Thirteenth Division, filling out paperwork is the least I can do..."

"What you can do," said Kagome, "is try and recuperate. That way you can lead our division more effectively than I can when something serious actually comes up."

Ukitake chuckled and said, "You underestimate yourself, Kagome-chan. With your leadership skills, you'll become a fine taichou one day."

Kagome flushed at his praise and bowed, saying, "A-arigatou, Ukitake-taichou."

Smiling, Ukitake made a shooing motion with his hand and said, "Now, off with you! My paperwork isn't going to deliver itself, you know."

Kagome snorted – Ukitake was one of the few captains that tolerated such banter and crude noises – and considered telling Ukitake to kindly ask the folder to grow some legs.

"This paperwork… It's going to…?" said Kagome, glancing down at the folder again.

This time, she actually registered the azure color that marked the folder. She felt the blood drain from her face at the sight of the Third Division's official color; she had thought that she would have more time to recuperate from her brief but strange encounter with Ichimaru a week ago.

Kagome realized that Ukitake was watching her and immediately put on a brave face.

Clearing her throat, she finished, "…Ichimaru-taichou…?"

Ukitake nodded and said, "Would you tell him I'm sorry for not getting to him earlier?"

Kagome was in the process of thinking that she doubted that Ichimaru would care if Ukitake-taichou were sorry or not, when her captain doubled over coughing.

In a second, she was right beside his bed, pushing him gently back against the mattress.

"Rest," she said firmly, pulling Ukitake's amazingly-pristine sheets up higher around his body. "I'll go and deliver these papers to Ichimaru-taichou. I'll come and check up on you later, okay?"

Getting his breath back and smiling gratefully, Ukitake whispered tiredly, "You're a saint, Kagome-chan."

"It's the least I can do," Kagome grumbled as she fluffed his pillow, feeling uncomfortable from hearing the eerily-familiar phrase; it brought back memories she longed to put behind her for good.

Ukitake must have noticed her discomfort, because his smile faded somewhat. But he said nothing as Kagome continued to make sure that he was 'tucked in'.

Sending her captain a quick smile, Kagome nodded and said, "Well, I'm off."

Ukitake nodded, feeling strangely like a child being sent off to bed before their parents went to work the night-shift.

Kagome turned and began heading for the door; Ukitake didn't care for bowing and protocol when it was just him and his lieutenant in a room.

Before leaving Ukitake to his rest, Kagome turned and frowned at him.

"You'd better be resting when I check up with you later," she warned, shaking her finger at him.

"Hai, hai!" laughed Ukitake, waving at her.

Kagome's expression softened and a small but true smile blossomed on her face. Nodding at her captain, she stepped out into the sunlight. Within a couple of seconds, she was gone, spirited away by her shunpo.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Taa-daa! How was it? Remember, read and review! Otherwise, you'll make me sad… T.T

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	3. Burden of the Past

Wow~ This is probably the shortest chapter I've ever written in my entire life… What a great accomplishment! It is so easy to write when you do shorter chapters. Probably why I haven't updated 'Wandering Paths' in forever. ^.^;

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I can't think of something witty to say, so I don't own InuYasha or Bleach

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter III: Burden of the Past**

-o-o-o-

_A long time ago  
__She defeated the Spider  
__And left them behind_

-o-o-o-

'"_You're a saint, Kagome-chan," is what he said,'_ thought Kagome glumly as she walked up to the main entrance of the Third Division's barracks. '_Why did he have to go and say something like that…?_'

Since coming to the Soul Society, Kagome had told no one of her past. She had given bits and pieces, yes, when asked, but she kept her answers simple but obscure. No one knew that she had traveled five hundred years into the past through an ordinary wooden well at her family shrine. No one knew that she, along with her Sengoku Jidai (Feudal Era) friends, had fought against youkai (spirits, demons) on a daily basis. And no one knew that she was the famous Miko no Shikon (Shikon miko), a highly revered historical figure in the Soul Society.

Kagome planned to have it stay that way.

She didn't want anyone finding about the oh-so-tragic – tragic, her ass – ending of the legendary Miko no Shikon. Rejected by her first love after defeating Naraku, simply because she wasn't her first incarnation. Stuck back in her own time, never allowed to go back in time to her friends. Getting a faint glimmer of hope for herself when she graduated from high school, and planning to go to college. Taking a ride in Eri's new car with her modern friends – What did Eri need a car for? There were buses and trains! – and getting into a roll-over accident with a large truck. Instantaneous death.

She didn't even know if her friends had lived or died. Before she knew it, she was being sent to a place called Soul Society. _Alone._ If her friends had died along with her, it was highly unlikely that she would find them again; people rarely found who they were looking for in the Rukongai.

And that phrase, that good yet terrible phrase that had Ukitake had said to her sent chills into her heart.

Many a time, after helping out a village in the Sengoku Jidai, the elders or leaders of said village would thank her, sometimes using those exact words (except for the –chan; they used –sama, instead). One gracious old man had said it right before being impaled by one of Naraku's tentacles, a sneak attack on her group; Kagome could still remember the stench and sensation of the man's blood raining down on her, and the horror she had experienced as the fight with Naraku had escalated during those couple of seconds.

No one knew it, but Higurashi Kagome had seen war. A war she longed to forget, simply because of all the pain and sorrow she had experienced as she buried whole villages of innocent men, women, and children slaughtered by Naraku. All because of that _stupid_ bauble, which had disappeared after she wished it out of existence. Another reason InuYasha – the pompous ass – had rejected her.

Ah, well. It was all in the past – _literally_. All she could do now was try to make the best of her new life, and as fukutaichou of one of the Gotei 13 divisions, she could say that she was doing fairly well.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

How'd you like number three? You all probably want to kill me now because of the shortness of the chapter, and the fact that Gin wasn't in it. Just had to do a little background story before I pushed on. Gin will be in the next chapter, cross my heart and hope to die! T.T

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	4. Choked

Here's chapter four! Gin is back! Yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, but I certainly wish I owned Gin…

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter IV: Choked**

-o-o-o-

_His persimmon trees  
__Adorned with bright-red fruits  
__Are his pride and joy_

-o-o-o-

As Kagome approached the familiar sight of Ichimaru's office door, she fought to quell the nervous sensation that was churning her stomach like a whirlpool. Her anxiety seemed to increase tenfold with every step she took down the hallway, which meant by the time she was nearly there, she was quite jittery.

Stopping outside the door, Kagome swallowed hard and raised her free hand to knock. Before she could do so, the door slid open quite abruptly. Kagome nearly shot out of her sandals in fright – in reality, her eyes widened – and expected Ichimaru to come popping out of the room like last time.

She nearly sighed in relief when she saw that it wasn't Ichimaru she was facing, but Kira Izuru instead.

"Hn?" grunted Izuru in surprise when he came face-to-face with Kagome. "Higurashi-fukutaichou? What brings you here?"

"Ah, Kira-fukutaichou," said Kagome, mindful to maintain the proper suffixes while on duty, "I'm just here to deliver the remainder of Ukitake-taichou's paperwork to Ichimaru-taichou."

"Is that so?" came Ichimaru's smooth voice from behind Kira. "Shouldn't ya let Higurashi-fukutaichou through, Izuru-kun?"

Kagome's throat constricted at the sound, while Izuru flushed and stepped aside so that she could get by him. Eager to get this done and over with, Kagome stepped hurriedly into the office and saw Ichimaru stand from where he had been sitting behind his desk.

Avoiding eye contact, Kagome strode up to the front of Ichimaru's desk and bowed politely.

"Ichimaru-taichou," she greeted.

"Do you need me for anything else, sir?" said Izuru from behind her.

Kagome righted her body again, her eyes on one of the writing brushes lying on Ichimaru's desk.

"Iie, Kira-kun. And close the door behind you," said Ichimaru smugly.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. _Close the door?_

Izuru, however, didn't seem to find anything strange with his captain's request, since he merely bowed and proceeded to slide the door shut.

'_Iya (slang form of 'no')! Don't close the door! Don't close the door!_' thought Kagome desperately, wishing to shout those words out loud to Izuru.

But it was too late. The soft 'thump!' of the door sliding shut made Kagome think of the ominous ways doors closed in movies, trapping the room's victims inside. And because she was trapped in a room alone with Ichimaru Gin, every muscle in Kagome's body tensed, the hair on the back of her neck standing up.

Slowly, Kagome turned to face Ichimaru once more, carefully schooling her face so that nothing of her inner anxiety showed.

"So," said Ichimaru, sounding friendly, "what did ya say ya had fer me, Higurashi-fukutaichou?"

Kagome swallowed, trying to get her throat to stop feeling like a hand was choking it. She remembered her friend Kuchiki Rukia, Kuchiki-taichou's adopted little sister, once say that hearing Ichimaru speak made her feel like snakes were constricting around her throat. Kagome felt none of that serpentine coolness of snakeskin when Ichimaru spoke; instead, her mouth went dry and her throat seemed to close up.

Mentally shaking herself, she held out the azure-coded folder in her hand, saying, "Ukitake-taichou wanted me to deliver his remaining paperwork to you. He is sorry that he couldn't get it to you last week."

"Did he now?" asked Ichimaru, reaching out and taking the folder into his hand.

Kagome shivered when she felt his thumb cover hers as he took the folder. When he made no indication he was going to remove it after five seconds, she let go of the paperwork folder as if she had been burned. She sent the silver-haired man a slightly reproachful look (he was a captain; it wouldn't do well to disrespect him) and clenched the hand he had touched into a fist.

She wasn't sure, but Kagome could have sworn that Ichimaru's ever-present smirk lessened somewhat when she jerked her hand away.

"Arigatou, Higurashi-taichou," said Ichimaru in a factitious tone; did he look…disappointed?

Kagome bowed, bending over slightly at the waist.

"May I take my leave now, Ichimaru-taichou?" she requested politely, straightening up to her full, barely-over five-foot height.

"Iie," said Ichimaru automatically. "Sit down."

Kagome gave a small grunt of surprise and looked down at the chair in front of Ichimaru's desk. She looked back up at Ichimaru, who seemed to be amused (or maybe he was always amused, if that smirk was anything to go by), and finally sat down gingerly on the edge of the chair. She felt strange sitting down the in the presence of a standing, higher-ranking officer, but a small amount of relief flooded through her when Ichimaru sat back down behind his desk.

The silver-haired man folded his hands into a bridge and rested his chin on it. Again, he cocked his head at Kagome, as if studying her. Kagome had to force her hands, which lay folded in her lap, to not clench into fists (to keep them from shaking) as she endured his scrutiny. Was he going to reprimand her in some way, or was he just being weird? Somehow, Kagome figured it would be towards the 'weird' section.

After several seconds of him simply staring at her, she felt an overwhelming urge to shout, 'What the hell are you staring at, you fox-faced sonovabitch?'

"Hmm," said Ichimaru finally, his smirk widening. "Tell me, Higurashi-fukutaichou…"

Kagome nearly leaned forward in expectation.

"…do ya like hoshigaki (dried persimmons)?"

Making a choking noise of surprise in the back of her throat, Kagome simply stared at Ichimaru with wide, blue eyes. What the hell kind of question was that to ask a lower-ranking officer?

Realizing that he was waiting for her to speak, Kagome blinked and said, "W-well, I do eat them from time to time. The ones we receive at our division every month or so taste especially good–"

She paused in her speech, looking closely at Ichimaru. The smirk on his face had widened so much that it looked almost sinister. He looked totally satisfied about something, though Kagome wasn't sure about what it was yet.

Then her eyes slid to the trees standing out in the courtyard behind the window facing Ichimaru's back. She remembered someone telling her – had it been Matsumoto Rangiku? – that Ichimaru had planted _persimmon_ trees because he loved their fruit so much. And who else would _pick_ the persimmons but the captain of the Third Division himself? Suddenly, Kagome felt like the biggest fool alive.

"…_You made those hoshigaki?_" she said with astonishment and a little bit of horror; she had _eaten_ something made by Ichimaru Gin himself, though they had tasted wonderful…

Ichimaru made a sound that almost seemed like a laugh and said, "Are ya surprised that I'm the one that makes the hoshigaki handed around to all of the divisions?"

"H-hai," answered Kagome truthfully. "…But why do you hand them out, when you can keep them all to yourself?"

Ichimaru cocked his head and said, "You've been talkin' to Rangiku-chan, haven't ya?"

Kagome flushed pink and said, "S-she's my friend, a-and she mentioned that you liked hoshigaki…"

"Hmm," said Ichimaru again.

He seemed to be contemplating whether to speak or not.

Finally, he said, "While I like hoshigaki, there are far too many persimmons every harvest for me to eat alone. Ya understand, don't ya?"

Kagome nodded curtly; Ichimaru gave persimmons out so that he could get rid of them quicker. She wondered how many of the hoshigaki he kept to himself. Why was he even talking to her about this, anyway?

"I should probably let ya go back to your duties, ne?" said Ichimaru, standing up and leaning over the desk, his long fingers splayed out in order to balance him.

Kagome momentarily frowned; was he _leering_ at her?

She quickly stood in response to that thought and said, "Hai. This has been… an _enlightening_ conversation, Ichimaru-taichou."

"Gin."

"N-nani?" said Kagome, caught off-guard by that one word.

"You may call me Gin…_Kagome-chan_," said Ichimaru smugly, seeming to savor the taste of her name on his tongue.

"That's hardly appropriate, Ichimaru-taichou–" began Kagome disapprovingly, holding her ground as he walked around his desk to stand before her; in truth, she wanted to knee him in the balls and scream, 'Stranger danger!' before running out of the room.

"Why not?" asked Gin, cocking his head – that was really getting old! – down at her. "We've spoken about persimmons, haven't we? We've gotten to know each other a li'l better."

Kagome felt a spark of anger and thought, '_Talking about a mutual taste for persimmons hardly makes us best buddies. Besides, the only thing I know about you is that you're creepy, you know Matsumoto-san, and you like persimmons._'

"Ichimaru-taichou–" said Kagome slowly, trying to control her growing anger; how could this guy act like he _knew_ her?

"Ah!" said Ichimaru, holding up a finger to stop her. "It's _Gin_, Kagome-chan."

That did it. The dormant volcano of rage inside of Kagome shook and then exploded. Too angry to even think properly, Kagome used her anger to get her point across: That she and Ichimaru-taichou were _not_ friends, and he shouldn't assume as such.

"Alright, _Gin_," said Kagome venomously, her sapphire eyes glinting dangerously. "It's been a real pleasure speaking to you, but I really must be going now."

She noticed with fury that the corners of his slitted eyes tilted upwards a bit, as if he were smiling triumphantly. If it had been his goal to poison her mind with negative emotions, he had definitely succeeded.

"By all means, _Kagome-chan_," said Ichimaru chivalrously, sweeping his hand towards the door.

Clenching her jaw so much that it hurt, Kagome gave a short bow and strode over to the door. She slid it open gently with much difficulty; she wanted to slide it open so hard that it fell off its railing.

She stepped through the door and turned around to face Ichimaru.

Her temper nearly went berserk when he put long, pale finger against his lips and said with mocking amusement, "It's our li'l secret."

If looks could kill, Ichimaru would have definitely dropped dead where he stood. Kagome's expression was like acid as she bowed stiffly to him before sliding the door closed with a loud 'thump!'

She nearly opened it again in order to unleash her volcanic-fury when she heard him chuckle from behind the door.

'_That…_infuriating_…man!_' thought Kagome angrily, spinning around to face the hallway.

She began her long walk back down the long stretch of wooden floors. Every step she took was a satisfying stomp, in which she imagined a mini-Ichimaru being squished underneath.

In her current angry insanity, she didn't care if she was reprimanded by Ukitake. Hell, she didn't care if she was _court-martialed._

From now on, the word 'gin' – which usually spoke of the stardust color of Ichimaru's hair – meant 'poison'.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Hooray! Gin is back! HOORAY! ***pants heavily with exertion*** Make sure you review!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	5. Oh, So Tired

Grr! You people are lucky I'm so nice! Here's another chapter! Happy? Oh, by the way, it's Opposite Day today, so you can't take what I just said for granted. ^.^

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, and anyone who says I do is a big, fat liar. A BIG FAT LIAR. A HUGE, GINORMOUS LIAR. A LIAR SO BIG THAT YOU CAN'T FIT HIS BODY INTO THE UNIVERSE AS WE KNOW IT. A big liar, right?

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter V: Oh, So Tired**

-o-o-o-

_Weary and thinking  
__Why can't he leave her alone  
__In peace and quiet?_

-o-o-o-

Dust-laden and sweaty, an exhausted Kagome made her way into Ukitake-taichou's office, her short hair looking like she had just traveled through a hurricane and back.

Ukitake, who had been filling out a report of some kind, took one look at her and burst out into hearty laughter at her appearance.

Kagome's shihakushou ('garment of dead souls', standard shinigami uniform), which was usually black, had been turned a medium-gray by the layer of dust coating it. The dust on her face had semi-hardened due to her sweat, and her short, chin-length hair stuck up in every which direction in disorganized spikes. The combination of sweat and dust had captured those spikes until she washed her hair in the future. All in all, Kagome resembled a grumpy, disheveled ghost.

Kagome scowled at her captain's laughter and closed the office door behind her as she came in, before she walked over to Ukitake's desk and bowed; a fine shower of powdered dust came off her clothes, coating the floor at her feet.

"So," said Ukitake at last, clearing his throat in amusement, "how did it go?"

"Horrible," groaned Kagome. "May I sit down?"

Ukitake gestured at the chair in front of his seat, and Kagome sat down heavily in it with a 'whump!' A cloud of white dust, as fine as talcum powder, rose up around her, and Kagome coughed as she waved it away from her face.

"How were they?" asked Ukitake.

"Don't ask," Kagome moaned. "Let's just say that the new recruits didn't take it very well when Kurotsuchi-taichou thought it would be funny to switch a Hollow projection with a real one."

"That bad?" said Ukitake, arching a jet-black eyebrow in inquiry.

"They shouldn't have been allowed to graduate from the Academy!" said Kagome sourly. "They all freaked out when they saw that the Hollow wasn't some hologram that couldn't hurt them!"

"Well, that's why _you're_ there, Kagome-chan," said Ukitake authoritatively. "You have to teach them not to run away every time they come face-to-face with an enemy."

Kagome frowned at him and said, "You make it sound so easy."

"Hm," said Ukitake, picking up his pen and returning to his paperwork.

"May I go now, Ukitake-taichou?" asked Kagome, suppressing a yawn; she was tired from having saved the new recruits' asses that day.

"Hai," stated Ukitake, and Kagome rose out of her seat; she winced when she saw that she had left a perfect imprint of her butt on the seat of the chair, every single crease copied by a trace of dust.

As she tried (and failed) to dust off the chair with her already dusty hand, Ukitake paused in his writing.

"Oh, yes," he added, "I almost forgot. Ichimaru-taichou came by earlier, asking for you."

Kagome froze in her attempt to erase her butt's twin the chair. Any thought of Ichimaru since the previous month had sent blinding, hot anger flashing through Kagome, so she had avoided thinking about him ever since.

"Ichimaru-taichou was…?" asked Kagome faintly, her inner volcano growling.

"Un. Apparently, he's having a problem with one of his persimmon trees. He probably figured that you could help out, considering that you know a lot about plants and herbs," said Ukitake, glancing up from his report.

"But surely Unohana-taichou would be a better choice. She knows more about those things than I–" protested Kagome.

"I think you underestimate your medicinal knowledge of plants, Kagome-chan," said Ukitake seriously. "Even Unohana-taichou is impressed by the amount of herbs and remedies you know."

"She is?" asked Kagome, feeling genuinely surprised.

"Indeed. She hasn't heard of even half of the remedies you use," stated Ukitake.

'_That's because they were practiced by youkai and passed on to me,_' thought Kagome guiltily.

"But that doesn't mean that I know what's wrong with a persimmon tree!" she continued protesting. "All I know are the medicinal uses of the different parts of the tree!"

"Just humor him, Kagome-chan. He asked for you to meet him at the Third Division's barracks as soon as you were available," said Ukitake sternly.

Kagome looked down at herself, realizing she was in no condition to go and meet the bane of her existence.

"_Now?_" she asked incredulously; her clothes looked like she had rolled in flour, and her hair reminded her of Johnny Depp's character in 'Edward Scissorhands'.

Ukitake looked at her and sweatdropped.

"You…_could_ use a shower and a fresh change of clothes before you went," he admitted sheepishly.

A relieved smile broke out on Kagome's face; the dried dust around her mouth cracked and began peeling off.

"Arigatou, Ukitake-taichou!" she said gratefully, bowing.

"Don't keep Ichimaru-taichou waiting," said Ukitake warningly. "As soon as you're done freshening up, head straight over to the Third Division."

"Ha (yes, sir)!" said Kagome, saluting her squad captain exaggeratingly. "May I go now, Ukitake-taichou?"

Ukitake nodded and smiled when he saw Kagome practically scramble to the door; she seemed very eager to get clean.

Bowing hastily to her superior, Kagome slid open the door and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

Ukitake looked up in surprise when the door opened again a moment later, only for Kagome to poke her spiked head back through.

"Oh! And, um, sorry about leaving half of the Sahara Desert in your office," added his lieutenant, looking pointedly at the piles of dust she had left behind before leaving the room again.

Ukitake, who had never heard of the Sahara Desert, blinked in confusion and said, "_Where?_"

But Kagome was already gone, the echoes of her clacking sandals receding quickly into the distance.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Another chapter! Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! HOORAY! Hmm… Maybe I've had too much caffeine. ^.^; Anyway, remember to review! Review! REVIEW! ***gets pulled offstage with the handle of a giant cane*** Reeeviiieeewwwww…!

Nah, just kidding. I'm not quite _that_ desperate for reviews, but I do enjoy getting them.

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	6. On the Precipice of Defeat

Ugh, the sky is a grey overcast, it's snowing, and I want to crawl back into bed even though it's around three 'o' clock PM here… So I decided to gift you with another chapter to fight off my boredom.

You know, a thought occurred to me a couple months back. _Why_ is Kagome used in crossovers so much? I believe that she is the number one female crossover character for anime, and when I realized that, I was like, 'Why do people twist her character or her story's plot so much?' Is it because she's so naïve and good-natured in the InuYasha anime? Just a thought.

Here's chappie 5! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach. If I did, I certainly would have killed Aizen off a long time ago and had Kagome paired with Sesshoumaru instead of InuYasha! Hah!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter VI: On the Precipice of Defeat**

-o-o-o-

_Her blue eyes are wide  
__As he traps her in his maze  
__Of fear, doubt, and lies_

-o-o-o-

It had been a little over a month since Kagome had had her last 'confrontation' with Ichimaru Gin.

For the first couple of weeks after her getting angry at a superior officer, Kagome acted like she was walking on eggshells, jumping at small noises and becoming increasingly nervous. She had waited for Ichimaru to report the incident, but was surprised to find that he hadn't when she went investigating; of course, she didn't go anywhere near the man to get her information.

Then Kagome figured, with little enthusiasm, that Ichimaru had kept the information to himself as future blackmail material. Her white-hot anger at him returned; angry with him for goading her, and angry with herself for giving him what he wanted.

Kagome wondered _why_ he had goaded her, what his ulterior motive was for his strange behavior. She remembered him touching her hands the first time she had brought him paperwork, and then his thumb on hers the last time they had encountered. She shivered at the way he had looked at her, just for the briefest of moments…

Now, refreshed and dressed in crisp, clean clothing, Kagome stared up at the entrance of the Third Division barracks. The afternoon breeze ruffled her dark kosode and hakama, and wavy tendrils of her hair tickled the sides of her face as softly as feathers; she had used shunpo on her way over, so her hair had dried quickly. And still, Kagome couldn't force herself to move.

Swallowing hard, Kagome clenched her fists and frowned. Today, she would have to tell Ichimaru that their relationship was strictly professional, nothing more. Whatever ideas he had in his cunning head, they wouldn't work because she had no intentions of having anything to do with him.

Kagome took a deep breath, her heart pounding. She lifted her foot to take a step…

"Kagome-chan?"

The voice came from behind her, causing her heart to jump into her throat in her surprise.

"Gah!" cried Kagome, whirling around with her hand over her frantically-beating heart.

She sighed in relief when she saw a concerned, sweatdropping Izuru standing a couple of feet away.

"Oh, it's just you, Izuru-kun," said Kagome, her heartbeat slowing.

"What were you doing? You were just standing there, and you didn't seem to notice when I came up behind you…" said Izuru, looking somewhat hurt.

"I was just thinking. Gomen ne (sorry), Izuru-kun," said Kagome, smiling apologetically.

Izuru smiled shyly in return and asked, "Why are you here, anyway? I'd figure that you'd be delivering paperwork, but you don't have anything with you…?"

He trailed off at the end, and Kagome immediately understood his unspoken words. Izuru was too polite to say, 'If you don't have any paperwork, then why are you here and what do you want?'

"Actually, I'm looking for Ichimaru-taichou. Apparently, something is wrong with one of his persimmon trees and he asked me for help," said Kagome, rubbing the back of her neck and sweatdropping.

"Oh, is that all?" said Izuru, blinking in surprise. "How odd."

Kagome frowned in puzzlement.

"Why is it odd?" she asked.

Izuru shrugged and said, "It's just that Ichimaru-taichou practically knows all there is to know about his trees. I don't think he's ever asked anyone for help before."

He gave her a curious look, his eyes appearing to flick over her form. Then an expression of understanding – its nature eluded Kagome – dawned over Izuru's face.

"Ohhh," he said, his blue eyes lighting up. "Ah, I see. Don't let me keep you, then. Ichimaru-taichou should be in the persimmon grove closest to his office."

He gestured in the general direction of Ichimaru's personal office; a strange little smile spread across his face all the while.

Kagome gave Izuru a bewildered look, but managed to stammer out her thanks before heading in the direction that he had pointed out for her.

Before she was out of earshot, she heard him mutter, obviously to himself, "I thought it would have been Matsumoto-san…"

Having no clue what he was talking about, Kagome shook her head and thought, '_I don't get that guy. And I have no idea where I'm going._'

All of the times that Kagome had visited the Third Division's barracks, she had gone inside the main office building. Never before had she taken a detour _outside_ of the building, and she found it to be quite a bit bigger than it appeared from the inside.

Passing a grove of persimmon trees in full bloom, Kagome mentally tried to remember where Ichimaru's office was located inside the building, relative to her own position outside of it. If she was correct, then she had only a little ways to go still…

Her assumption proved correct when she found herself walking among a smaller grove of persimmons, clad only in green leaves. Ahead of her she saw a familiar, silver-haired figure clad in a white, captain's haori, and Kagome mentally steeled herself in order to prepare for her meeting with Ichimaru.

As she approached him, she saw that he was kneeling at the base of one of the trees, pouring clean, clear water. For once, his face was devoid of his smirk; instead; he appeared concerned for the tree he was tending. Kagome was shocked; a smirkless Ichimaru seemed out of this world. And…were his eyes…light blue (1)?

But before Kagome could get a closer look, the eyes narrowed into their fox-like slits and Ichimaru's trademark smirk appeared once again.

Without looking up, Ichimaru said, "Ah, I see ya've arrived, Kagome-chan."

'_Don't let him get to you. You'll only be giving him what he wants,_' thought Kagome, feeling anger well up inside at her.

"Ichimaru-taichou," she greeted coolly. "You wanted to see me?"

"Aww, do we have to go through this again?" asked Ichimaru, sounding hurt as he stood. "I told ya that you could call me Gin."

"'Could', Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome coldly. "Just because I can, doesn't mean I will. Besides, it's hardly appropriate for me to refer to you so familiarly. Nor is it for _you_, if you would forgive my boldness."

The corners of Ichimaru's eyes lifted up and he said, amusement evident in his oh-so mocking voice, "Are ya scoldin' me…_Kagome-chan_?"

Kagome suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to yank out her hair and grind it into the dust with her heel. Maybe even jump up and down on it.

Taking a deep, silent breath, Kagome forced herself to remain calm.

"What is it that you requested my presence for, Ichimaru-taichou?" she asked, ignoring what he had called her.

She felt a stab of guilty pleasure when Ichimaru made a 'tch' of annoyance. But like her, he ignored what she had called him.

"Tell me, Kagome-chan. What is odd about this tree?" asked Ichimaru, looking up into the whispering leaves of the tree he had been tending.

Kagome looked up and immediately saw that most of the leaves had begun turning yellow while the other trees in the grove were still luscious green; she wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. And despite the fact that the leaves were turning, there seemed to be no sign of insects or fungus on them.

Turning her gaze to the bark of the persimmon tree, Kagome searched for any signs of insect activity; borer beetles loved persimmon bark and were a plague to many persimmon growers. To Kagome's keen eye, there were no signs of entry where beetles were concerned.

"It's not suffering from the usual persimmon ailments," observed Kagome, answering Ichimaru's question. "No insect sign or evidence of fungus."

"Hai, hai," said Ichimaru, his smirk fading a little. "I've searched high 'n low on the tree, but have found no explanation for why it's dyin'."

He reached out a slender hand and placed it on the trunk of the tree, slowly – _lovingly?_ – caressing it as if it were his own child. Involuntarily, Kagome imagined what his hands would feel like on her bare skin and shivered. Why was she even thinking about that? Ichimaru was a creep...wasn't he?

"What do ya think, Kagome-chan?" asked the silver-haired man, his smirk returning full-force as he turned to look at her.

Kagome nearly sent him a scathing look before reminding herself that it was a bad idea.

"Do you have any other pests? Like rodents?" she asked tightly.

Ichimaru nearly looked offended as he said, "I keep my persimmon groves free of any pests, Kagome-chan."

'_Then why did you ask for me?_' Kagome nearly shouted at him; besides rodents, she couldn't think of any immediate persimmon tree ailments.

"Then I'm sorry," she said instead, keeping her tone even. "I cannot think of what might be wrong."

"Oh, ya can't, can ya?" asked Ichimaru mockingly. "Ya can't even use yer unique skills to find out what's wrong with one poor persimmon tree?"

Kagome's breath caught; he couldn't possibly know, could he? She had told no one, _no one_, that she was a miko – a servant of the kami and friend to the earth. He had to be bluffing.

Feigning confusion, Kagome said, "I'm not sure what you mean, Ichimaru-taichou."

Ichimaru leaned back against the bark of the tree and made a sound that was suspiciously like a snort. Rolling his head back, he appeared to be contemplating the dying leaves rustling above him.

"I'm talkin' about yer ability to communicate with nature and heal it, and ya know it, don't ya? Quit pretendin', Kagome-chan," said Ichimaru, turning his head towards her and appearing to narrow his eyes in a serious manner.

Fear blossomed in Kagome's chest, but she gave no outward indication of it. She _would_ _not_ give Ichimaru the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Even if he knew she was a miko, at least he didn't know that she was _the_ miko: the Miko no Shikon.

"I came here to offer you advice, and all you do is spout nonsense," she said coldly, becoming angry in defense. "If you do not wish for my help, then good day, Ichimaru-taichou."

She sounded pompous, and she knew it. But she wasn't about to risk having her cover blown by a dangerous, snoopy taichou who didn't know when to quit.

Bowing respectively, albeit somewhat stiffly, to Ichimaru, Kagome then proceeded to turn around. But when she had taken just a single step in the direction opposite of the Third Division captain, Ichimaru spoke again.

"What a pity," he said mock-dramatically. "I woulda thought that the Miko no Shikon woulda put up more of a fight than that. Can't even use her skills to save one tree. Pitiful."

_Th-thump._

Kagome's heart began beating painfully loud in her ears as she froze in place. Her blue eyes had widened to their limit, and her breath caught her throat. In her clenched fists, she could feel a cold, clammy sweat starting to form.

_He knew._ She didn't know how, but _he knew_.

Attempting to swallow, Kagome found that her mouth had gone dry with terror. She considered herself lucky that she was turned away from him; that way, he couldn't see the horror etched across her face.

"Yer scared, aren't ya? That's why ya've never told anyone. Yer scared of what'll happen if ya let slip that yer the legendary, revered Miko," stated Ichimaru, causing Kagome to grit her teeth; the bastard sounded like he was enjoying himself.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome attempted to gather her wits. She wouldn't, _couldn't_ let Ichimaru Gin, of all people, know who she was. The man was a manipulator; was his knowledge of her being the Miko no Shikon the reason he had been acting so _friendly_ as of late? Who knew what he wanted from her.

Clearing her face of all emotion, she turned and looked over her shoulder at Ichimaru, sending him a look as cold as a glacier.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ichimaru-taichou," she said, her voice like the top of Mount Everest.

Before Kagome could even blink, Ichimaru had used shunpo to reach her and then slammed her against the trunk of one of the nearby trees. Unable to breathe, his reaction to her words shocked her to her core, along with him _attacking_ her.

"Do ya take me fer a fool, Kagome-chan?" asked Ichimaru in a quiet, playful voice as he leaned his face down until it was nearly touching hers.

The hairs rose on the back of Kagome's neck; there was something sadistic_…threatening_, even, behind that playful tone, and it sent chills up her spine.

His much-larger body was nearly touching her small frame, almost shrouding her completely. Ichimaru had his hand pinning one of hers against the bark of the tree next to her head, digging painful chips of bark into her skin. He used her hand for leverage, balancing himself as he looked her right in the eye. Kagome, who was still trying to get her breath back, got the sensation of being smothered. The fact that he was nose-to-nose with her didn't help, either.

When Kagome didn't answer his previous question, Ichimaru's smirk widened.

"I've been to the Daireishokairou ('Great Spirit Book Gallery') (2), Kagome-chan. There's a file there, with yer name in it, telling _all_ about yer exploits five hundred years ago. So don't even try to pretend ye're not who ya say ya are," warned Ichimaru, staring into her frightened eyes. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our li'l secret."

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome gritted out angrily, trying to lean away from him.

Ichimaru chuckled and used his free hand to reach for her face. Kagome flinched away from his fingers, and shivered when the long appendages merely brushed her bangs out of her face.

"Now, now, there's no need to get angry," chided Ichimaru, though he sounded like he derived a lot of pleasure from her ire. "I just want ya to find out what's wrong with my persimmon tree."

'_Liar,_' thought Kagome vehemently; what person would go through all this trouble just to find out what was wrong with a tree?

Without warning, Ichimaru jerked her away from the tree and spun her around so that her back was facing him. He placed one of his pale, slender hands around the back of her neck, an indication that he was in control and that he could snap it whenever he wanted.

"Move along now," said Ichimaru cheerfully, using his other hand to push her gently forward in the small of her back; he sounded like he was talking to a child.

Kagome took a clumsy step forward, but was persuaded to regain and maintain her balance when Ichimaru grabbed her firmly by the hip to steady her – Kagome frowned when he was slow in removing his hand once he was sure that she would not fall. Eager not be touched so…_intimately_ by him again, Kagome made sure to be careful about her footing as Ichimaru steered her towards his sick persimmon tree.

'_This bastard… I bet he's enjoying every second of this…_' thought Kagome poisonously, her jaw clenched tightly.

"Here ya are," said Ichimaru, stopping suddenly in front of his sickly persimmon tree; Kagome caught herself just in time, avoiding falling over flat on her face. "Go ahead."

To emphasize his point, he nudged her forward until her nose was mere centimeters from the fissured, blocky bark of the persimmon tree.

"And don't try to get away," added Ichimaru as an afterthought; his grip on the back of her neck tightened to show that he meant it.

Wincing slightly, Kagome raised her hands up and placed them on the rough surface of the tree trunk. She closed her eyes and attempted to use her miko reiki, but she wished Ichimaru would get his creepy hand off of her neck.

"Let go of me," she snapped finally, trying to shrug his hand off.

"Why should I?" asked Ichimaru teasingly, and his grip tightened further.

"Because," said Kagome coldly, "I can't concentrate with my neck being threatened to be snapped in half."

It was a lie; she just didn't want to be touched and Ichimaru seemed to know it. But to her surprise, he chuckled and let go of her neck before taking a step back.

"Is _that_ better?" he asked, sounding more mocking than usual.

Kagome ignored him and turned her attention back to the sick persimmon tree. She readjusted her hands and even placed her face against the bark before closing her eyes.

It had been several years since she had used her miko powers, but the flow of reiki that surged up from her body didn't seem rusty in the least. Blue light emanated from beneath her hands as Kagome began searching for the source of the tree's illness.

The persimmon tree was obviously under stress. Its sap flowed sluggishly, even more than it was supposed to, and Kagome felt that the tree was in pain. It was dying a slow and painful death, and that urged Kagome to find out what was wrong with it.

Finding nothing in the trunk and branches of the persimmon tree, she switched her sights to below the ground. She followed the flow of sap down into the earth and flinched when she felt the tree's pain increase dramatically.

Once she had reached the roots of the tree, she determined what was causing the tree to die. A fungus had begun eating away at the roots, depriving the tree of oxygen. It certainly wasn't good, but luckily, the fungus hadn't advanced far enough that it wasn't curable.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome spoke without opening her eyes. She dismissed her reiki, letting it lay dormant once more; hopefully, she'd never have to use it again.

"Your persimmon tree has root rot. It can still be cured by cutting off the affected areas," said Kagome stiffly, turning around to face Ichimaru.

She stepped back with surprise and more than a little alarm when she found herself nose-to-chest with Ichimaru. The silver-haired man cocked his head down at her – arrgh! – and smirked widely, looking like a satisfied toad.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked mockingly.

Kagome – whose back was pressed tightly against the ill persimmon tree – was about to tell him to stick his head in a certain place in his body where the sun didn't shine, when Ichimaru suddenly leaned down to where his face was level with hers. He reached up with one hand and cupped her cheek, stroking her soft skin with his thumb.

Startled, Kagome jumped. Her eyes immediately began darting around, looking for possible escape routes, but there were none; Ichimaru's body was effectively blocking her and restricting her movement. For a moment, she considered calling for help, but knew that it was futile; everyone was either doing training drills or was inside the barracks. No one was near the persimmon grove, and she was alone with Ichimaru.

"I thank ya, Kagome-chan," said Ichimaru softly; did he actually sound _grateful_?

His thumb left trails of fire as it stroked her face, and Kagome froze at the sensation it was inciting within her belly. She wasn't supposed to feel _anything _when in this kind of situation, especially when so-called feelings were being caused by a weirdo captain!

Suddenly afraid, Kagome's breath sped up. She nearly started hyperventilating when Ichimaru, who had been contemplating her with an almost cat-like curiosity, tilted his head and lowered his lips toward hers.

Eyes wide and frozen on the spot, Kagome watched in disbelief as Ichimaru slowly but surely made his move. But when his lips just barely began touching hers, a feeling as light as a butterfly's wing, she snapped out of her temporary paralysis with a jolt.

With a loud gasp, she tore her face away and shoved Ichimaru away with a strength she didn't know she had; maybe it was because her hands were charged with reiki, zapping Ichimaru upon contact.

Ichimaru stumbled backwards with a grunt of surprise, his face for once devoid of its trademark smirk. The expression on his face resembled astonishment, though Kagome didn't take the time to get a closer look; she was too busy escaping.

Using shunpo, Kagome darted out of the persimmon grove. She half-expected Ichimaru to follow her and capture her, for whatever reason; there had to be an explanation for his sudden interest in her. He had just tried to _kiss_ her, for kami's sake!

All the while, Ichimaru stared after the direction she had gone with a darkly-amused look on his face, rubbing his chest where Kagome had burned him with her reiki.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) I was actually disappointed when Tite Kubo revealed Gin's eyes to be a light blue, 'cause I liked it when the animators portrayed him with red eyes. But what can ya do? Sigh…

(2) The Daireishokairou is a restricted area in the Central 46 Compound, where all of the history and knowledge of the Soul Society is kept. It was here that Aizen looked up information about the Hougyoku when he was supposedly dead.

-o-o-o-

Did you like it? Gin's terrible, isn't he? Remember to read and review!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	7. Ditty for Daddy

I was watching some of my Bleach DVDs so that I could 'study' Gin (so that I keep him in character) – actually I was drooling over him… Couldn't help it… Hehehehehe… ***perverted grin***

Here you are, my lovely peoples. As always (though I don't mention it enough T.T) thank you for your continued support!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach. Do you _see_ my name on Bleach and InuYasha manga volumes? Wait, you don't even know my real name. Fine, my name isn't Takahashi Rumiko or Kubo Tite.

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter VII: Ditty for Daddy**

-o-o-o-

_It's now a battle of wills  
__Against his mocking smile  
__And his cunning mind_

-o-o-o-

Although Kagome didn't drink, she often accompanied her fellow fukutaichou to their usual izakaya (drinking tavern), located on the edge of the Gotei 13. In their free time, many shinigami visited the izakaya, downing cup after cup of saké. Captains, lieutenants, and lower officers could be found in this one place on certain days, though it was the lieutenants that favored it.

Currently, Kagome was bored out of her mind. She was kneeling on a cushion next to one of the drinking tables, her cheek leaning against the palm of one of her hands. Her expression was weary; she had spent the past couple of weeks paranoid and angry beyond belief.

Ever since Ichimaru had announced that he knew who she was, she had spent every day since in abject fear. If Ichimaru – who wasn't even the oldest taichou – knew that she was the Miko no Shikon, who's to say that he wasn't alone? For all she knew, the other captains knew exactly who she was, but kept quiet about it. And she had spent all this time trying to hide her identity, just so that she could live a normal shinigami life…

There was also the fact that Kagome was afraid that Ichimaru would come after her again and finish what he had started. She was pissed with him, yes – he thought he could use her as he saw fit! – but deep down, there was something frightening about the man. Who knew what he would pull next time?

"Kagome-chan? Kaagoomee-chaaan! Hello? KAGOME-CHAN!"

Snapping out of her reverie, Kagome slowly looked over at her older friend, Matsumoto Rangiku, and blinked dully.

"Yeah?" she said, sounding tired.

Matsumoto, whose cheeks were already somewhat pink from her alcohol consumption, sighed exaggeratingly.

"Really, Kagome-chan!" said Rangiku with annoyance, drawling out her words in a way that was utterly Matsumoto. "What is with you lately? You've been moping more than Renji-kun when Kuchiki Rukia goes off on a mission!"

"I do not!" exclaimed the red-haired, tattooed Sixth Seat of the Eleventh Division (1); Abarai Renji was notorious for being a hothead.

Rangiku merely snorted with disbelief at a blushing Renji – who was seated at the other end of the table, across from Kagome – and turned her gaze back to the ebony-haired fukutaichou of the Thirteenth Division.

"So what's wrong, Kagome-chan? You're usually so cheerful…" Rangiku trailed off, hoping to prompt an answer out of Kagome.

Kagome sent Rangiku a glare and stubbornly looked away.

"You know you can tell me anything…!" said Rangiku in a singsong voice.

'_No, I can't, you blabbermouth,_' thought Kagome heatedly. '_If I tell _you_ something, everyone else will know by the end of the day._'

"So, what is it?" asked Rangiku, leaning across the table towards Kagome, giving everyone a generous view of her large cleavage. "A love affair?"

"Iya," scoffed Kagome, rolling her eyes.

Everyone else at the table – which included Kira Izuru, Abarai Renji, Third Seat Madarame Ikkaku, Fifth Seat Ayasegawa Yumichika, and Tetsuzaimon Iba-fukutaichou – began to get that 'eager crowd' look, the kind where people got out popcorn and watched with growing expectation. It was also where people, if they were your friends, got snoopy and laughed at your embarrassment.

"Hmm," said Rangiku, appearing to be deep in thought.

Then she gasped and said, "You're pregnant?"

Several people in the izakaya looked around curiously at the exclamation.

"Where the hell did you get _that_ idea!" cried Kagome angrily. "I just said I wasn't having a love affair, didn't I!"

"You don't have to be having a love affair to get–" Ikkaku began to point out, before Yumichika slapped him upside the head to shut him up.

Ikkaku sent Yumichika a glare, while the narcissistic Fifth Seat of the Eleventh Division frowned at him disapprovingly. Rangiku, meanwhile, was thinking again, much to Kagome's despair.

"Oh!" said Rangiku after a moment, giggling behind her hand. "Then it has to be…_a secret crush!_"

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Kagome, crossing her arms grumpily over her chest.

And at that moment, her mind betrayed her. A sudden image of Ichimaru leaning over her, his lips just barely touching hers, flashed through her mind. Kagome remembered the heat he had instilled in her with just a simple touch, and…she blushed, turning the color of Renji's hair.

A ruckus rose up over the table as everyone sitting there saw the blush.

"Oh ho ho!" laughed Rangiku conspiratorially. "What's this? Does Kagome-chan have a crush she doesn't want anybody to know about?"

"Iya!" said Kagome defensively, turning a deeper shade of red.

"Place bets on who Kagome-chan has a crush on, everyone!" cried Renji, and Yumichika placed down a bet on himself.

"Oh, please!" Kagome snorted at Yumichika. "Nobody needs to have a crush on you! You love yourself enough as it is!"

"So true…" Yumichika sighed, stroking one of the feathery projections attached to his eyebrow.

"Anyone else?" called Renji, ignoring Kagome and Yumichika's conversation entirely.

Ikkaku and Iba looked at each other and sweatdropped; everyone was enjoying themselves too much for their own good. Izuru was staring intently at Kagome, who felt a sudden chill in the pit of her stomach; the young, blonde fukutaichou was obviously thinking of her so-called meeting with Ichimaru a couple weeks prior.

'_Izuru… Please don't say anything,_' Kagome begged him mentally. '_Not in front of Rangiku-san._'

Wait, why was she even thinking that? It wasn't like there was anything between her and the silver-haired creep in the first place!

"C'mon, Kagome-chan!" pleaded Rangiku, smooshing her large bosom beneath her body as she leaned across the table towards Kagome. "Who is it!"

Kagome closed her eyes, her eyebrow twitching with her restrained anger. Her fingers were gripping her upper arms tightly, since she still had her arms folded across her chest.

"For the last time," said Kagome loudly, "I do not have a secret crush!"

She was sure that she had succeeded in satisfying their curiosities when it suddenly went quiet at the table.

"What's this? Higurashi-fukutaichou has a secret crush?" came a familiar, polite but mocking voice from behind her.

Kagome felt as if she had plunged into a pool of ice-cold water.

Her eyes snapped open and she made a choking noise in the back of her throat. She saw that her tablemates were looking at a point somewhere above and behind her head, all playfulness gone from their expressions. She turned around slowly, her gaze rising.

Another choking sound nearly made it out of her throat when she found Ichimaru's smirking fox-face looking down at her. The tall man was standing directly behind her, so close that Kagome unconsciously scooted closer to the edge of the table.

"Tell us, Higurashi-fukutaichou. Who's yer secret crush?" asked Ichimaru, his smirk widening.

Kagome felt the eyes of her tablemates land on her and she turned a brilliant red.

'_He's… He's trying to embarrass me!_' Kagome realized with outrage.

When Kagome didn't say anything, Ichimaru mock-frowned.

"What is it, Higurashi-taichou? Are ya not sayin' anythin' because ya have a crush…on me…?" said Ichimaru, his smirk slowly creeping across his face again.

Kagome immediately bristled and turned a deeper shade of red; the dirty bastard! How dare he insinuate such a thing, with Rangiku sitting right there!

Ikkaku, who had been taking a swig from his saké gourd, gurgled on the alcohol in surprise and began choking. Yumichika rolled his eyes and began slapping his friend on the back.

Kagome clenched her fists as she looked up at Ichimaru; so that was the way he wanted to play it, huh?

A sickly sweet smile crept onto her face, though her eyes were full of poison.

"Sumimasen, Ichimaru-taichou, but you're not exactly my type," she said, cocking her head and giving a smile so cute that she looked like an angel. "Even in the unlikelihood that I _did_ have a secret crush on you, do you really think that I would just announce it? And even if I _did_ have a crush and told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it?"

A strangled gasp came from somewhere behind her; probably Izuru, horrified that she had spoken in such a manner to his captain.

She let a malicious glint enter her eyes after she was done speaking, and felt a sinking sensation in her stomach when instead of smirking less, Ichimaru put on his 'satisfied toad' expression; he seemed amused by the whole situation. She knew then that she was probably signing her life away to be killed by Ichimaru later in some dark alley in the Gotei 13; he didn't dare say or do anything here, what with the izakaya being full of shinigami.

Ichimaru, meanwhile, placed his hand over his heart.

"Why, Higurashi-fukutaichou! Ya wound me!" he said in a hurt tone.

Kagome said nothing, thinking, '_As if my words could affect you, you fox-faced bastard._'

Then, seeming to dismiss her presence, Ichimaru looked up across the table and locked eyes with Izuru.

"Kira-fukutaichou, would ya kindly accompany me fer a drink?" he asked.

Kagome almost snickered; it sounded ridiculously like Ichimaru was asking – no, _demanding_ – Izuru to go out on a date with him.

Izuru, in response to his captain's 'request', hastily stood, stuttering, "H-hai, Ichimaru-taichou!"

The blonde fukutaichou quickly made his way around the low sitting table and to his captain's side, sending Kagome a reprimanding glance. Then he stood next to Ichimaru, looking important; he seemed to have forgotten that he was off duty.

Ichimaru lifted his hand and waved at Rangiku, saying, "See ya, Matsumoto."

Rangiku gave Ichimaru a small smile, and Kagome suddenly felt a stab of jealousy. Why was Rangiku the only one deemed to be familiar to Ichimaru? He had called her 'Kagome-chan', hadn't he?

A moment later, Kagome mentally slapped herself around a bit. Her attempts to resist Ichimaru's poisonous words had failed, it seemed.

Without even a backwards glance, Ichimaru turned and led Izuru to another section of the izakaya, hiding both from sight. Once the silver-haired captain was lost from sight, Kagome heard simultaneous sighs from behind her. She turned, feeling drained.

Renji chuckled nervously at Kagome and said, "That took some balls, Kagome-chan."

'_I'm doomed,_' thought Kagome depressively, waterfalls falling from her eyes. '_I might as well start making out my will tonight._'

Rangiku kept sending Kagome curious glances, wondering why her friend Ichimaru had confronted Kagome like that. Unable to resist her curiosity, she spoke.

"Ne, Kagome-chan…? Is there…something going on between you and Ichimaru-taichou?" she asked.

"Iya!" said Kagome angrily. "Just because I delivered him paperwork a couple of times, he wants to think we're friends now! But he knows nothing about me, and I don't want to know anything about him!"

Rangiku blinked, surprised at the younger woman's outburst.

Kagome spotted Ikkaku's saké gourd, and, with an overwhelming urge to just get plain, stinking drunk, said, "Give me that!" before swiping it from his unsuspecting hand.

"O-oi! I just filled that–!" began Ikakku angrily, while Kagome pulled out the cork stopping the opening of the gourd.

Before Ikkaku could protest any more, Kagome threw back her head and began pouring the saké down her throat. Everyone at the table watched with amazement as Kagome, who had hated the taste of saké ever since she had tried it as a child, gulped down all of the alcohol in the gourd without pausing for breath.

"Ahhh!" said Kagome contentedly after she had finished, wiping her mouth with her hand.

'_If I'm gonna die soon, I might as well find out what being drunk feels like and forget all my troubles for one night! "Saké tastes gross" be damned!_' thought Kagome fervently, turning her gaze onto Ikkaku once more.

"Refill!" she demanded, thrusting the gourd towards him.

"O-oi… Are you feeling okay, Kagome-chan…?" asked Ikkaku, looking freaked out.

"REFILL!" Kagome roared, and Ikkaku grabbed the gourd before scurrying off to find more saké, a panicked expression on his face.

Rangiku raised her eyebrows at Kagome's sudden change in attitude, stunned. The remaining three – Renji, Iba, and Yumichika – exchanged surprised looks.

"You know, for someone who's never drank alcohol before, I'm surprised she's still conscious," commented Renji.

"Do you reckon she's finally gone crazy?" muttered Iba, sending Kagome a cautious glance. "She always seemed adamant about not touching any alcohol."

All Kagome did was pound her hand on the table and yell, "Where's my refill, dammit! I wanna get hammered!"

The table's other occupants sweatdropped.

"Perhaps you're right," said Yumichika, sending Kagome a quirky grin. "But I've always admired her angry side."

"REFILL, DAMMIT!"

A panic-filled yelp answered Kagome's tyrannical roar, followed by the quick reappearance of the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division.

Suddenly, everyone felt very sorry for Ikkaku, except for Kagome, who was busy downing her second gourd of rice wine.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) I originally made a mistake here, saying that Renji was the lieutenant of the Sixth Division. However, I was unsure whether Renji had been lieutenant for very long after rewatching some Soul Society Arc episodes, so I went and looked up the info. Lo and behold! Renji had been a lieutenant for only a month or two before the Ryoka invasion, and this chapter is set even earlier than that. So he's still a 6th Seat in Zaraki's division at this point.

-o-o-o-

Hehehehehe… Poor Ikkaku… Remember to read and REVIEW! Hehehehehe…

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	8. Will of the Heart

OMG! I just found out that a girl in one of my classes (she's a junior and younger than me) is also an author on this site. Granted, she's only written two stories (one is coauthored by a friend of hers) and hasn't updated in forever, but I never thought that I'd actually _meet_ a fellow fanfiction author! What's weird is that we have the same name, spelled differently though. BTW, she has written Harry Potter stories.

Enough about that. Here's the next chapter. ***throws confetti into the air***

Disclaimer: I bet you a hundred dollars that I don't own InuYasha or Bleach. Now where's my money? ***cocks shotgun*** ***lawyers in the vicinity run and scream like little girls***

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter VIII: Will of the Heart**

-o-o-o-

_His very presence  
__Infuriates her and she  
__Loathes his whole being_

-o-o-o-

"You seem awfully quiet today, Kagome-chan. Is there something wrong?"

It wasn't often that Kagome went strolling around the Seireitei with her captain, what with Ukitake being bedridden half of the time. She usually enjoyed these walks, since they afforded pleasant conversation and tranquil scenery; both preferred taking walks among the _treeish_ sections of the Gotei 13, or at least something with vegetation.

But today wasn't one of those nice days. For the past week or so, ever since Kagome had woken up with a terrible hangover, her desire to know about the contents of the Daireishokairou had eaten at her until it had practically become an obsession. She desperately wanted to know what the famous archives said about her, so that perhaps she could hide her secret – of being the Miko no Shikon, of course – better.

But how did one get into the Daireishokairou? Kagome knew it was one of the more highly-restricted areas in the Seireitei, what with being located in the Central 46 Compound and all. As the governing body of all Soul Society, the ones that dwelled there – cold, unfeeling bastards, or so Kagome had heard – didn't let just anybody waltz through their doors.

"It's nothing," said Kagome, answering Ukitake's question.

Ukitake looked down at her skeptically, unconvinced. Maybe she should have used a cheerfully tone of voice? Knowing her captain, he'd probably see through it, anyway.

"Hm," said Ukitake wordlessly, turning to look ahead.

Kagome watched him nervously out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he was going to pursue the subject further. When he didn't, she supposed that he respected her privacy quite a bit.

A sudden thought hit her. Perhaps Ukitake would know? He was one of the oldest captains, over a thousand years old. If anyone would know about the policies regarding the Central 46 Compound, it would be him.

"A-actually, there is one thing…" began Kagome nervously, pushing the ends of her forefingers together.

"Hm?" said Ukitake, raising an eyebrow in question down at her.

"Do you know… Do you know how often taichou are allowed into the Central 46 Compound?" asked Kagome, looking up hopefully into Ukitake's face.

Ukitake's eyebrows shot upwards; apparently, that was the last question he had been expecting from her.

"We're allowed in once in a while, when we have an errand to run there," said Ukitake, shrugging.

Kagome nearly winced; 'once in a while' in the Soul Society could mean twenty to fifty years, for all she knew.

"What about…fukutaichou…?" she asked cautiously, causing Ukitake to grunt in surprise.

"It is a rare occurrence for a fukutaichou to enter the Central 46 Compound," said Ukitake thoughtfully. "I remember it happening once or twice."

"Oh…" said Kagome sadly, her hope of getting into the Daireishokairou dwindling.

Ukitake frowned at her with puzzlement, both at her sudden loss of spirit and her questioning of one of the most secure areas in all of Soul Society.

"Is there a reason for your sudden interest in the Central 46 Compund, Kagome-chan?" he asked, his dark eyebrows furrowed.

His lieutenant was tempted to tell him to forget the whole thing, but she knew that he wouldn't let it go that easily. So she spoke.

"I hear that the Daireishokairou contains a lot of the Soul Society's historical knowledge," admitted Kagome somewhat hesitantly.

Ukitake blinked in surprise.

"Do you want access to the Great Spirit Library?" he asked.

By the kami, she was _so_ transparent.

"H-hai," admitted Kagome reluctantly. "It's just that there is very little extensive historical knowledge in the SRDI (1)" – she had looked, just in case, a couple of days previously – "and I know that the Daireishokairou most likely contains what I'm looking for…"

"Well, what are you looking for?" asked Ukitake, raising an eyebrow and looking at her in a serious manner.

Kagome froze, her breath catching in her throat. If she told him that she was looking for the legendary Miko no Shikon, he would ask why. And she couldn't tell him that, she just couldn't. Not when she had worked so hard to keep her identity a secret.

"A-ah, that is…" stammered Kagome.

"I'll need to know what you're looking for, Kagome-chan, if I'm going to attempt to get you access to the Daireishokairou," repeated Ukitake.

Kagome blinked.

"You can do that?" she asked, excitement creeping into her voice.

Ukitake gave her a small smile and said, "I've been around for a while, Kagome-chan. My words do carry some weight around here."

He looked at her expectantly, and Kagome remembered that she had to give him a reason for her wanting to get into the Central 46 Compound.

"A-ano (um), I just wanted to look up a historical figure, Ukitake-taichou," said Kagome, her palms sticky with a nervous sweat.

She was afraid that he was going to ask who she wanted to look up, but all of that vanished when they turned one of the many corners in the Gotei 13 and came face to face with Ichimaru Gin; he appeared to be taking a walk of his own, heading in the opposite direction.

Ukitake let out a grunt of surprise, while Ichimaru assumed a surprised expression and said, "Oh?"

Kagome said nothing, watching Ichimaru carefully.

"Mornin', Ukitake-taichou," said Ichimaru cheerfully, giving Kagome's captain a friendly little wave.

"Ichimaru-taichou," greeted Ukitake formally, nodding. "Out for a walk on this beautiful day?"

"Hai, hai," answered Ichimaru, as if it were obvious. "Now since I'm in the presence of such an esteemed taichou…"

Kagome wanted to puke; if he sounded any cornier, she'd have sand pouring out of her mouth (2).

"…and his pretty li'l fukutaichou. She's such a good girl, isn't she?" finished Ichimaru, his voice bordering on wistful.

Kagome's cheeks turned pink from anger; what should have been a compliment always sounded like an insult when it came out of Ichimaru Gin's mouth. She was tempted to blurt out that she flipped off Yamamoto-soutaichou (Captain-Commander Yamamoto) on a daily basis, just so that she could have Ichimaru in the wrong. Of course, that would be a lie, but Kagome felt that it would have been worth it.

"Kagome-chan is an excellent fukutaichou, as well as a responsible and kind person," agreed Ukitake cautiously, ignoring the fact that Kagome looked anything but kind at the moment.

"Hmm," said Ichimaru, glancing at Kagome and putting on his 'satisfied toad' face.

Tensing, Kagome wanted to put her hand on the hilt of her zanpakutou, but she knew that would be rather unwise in the current situation. After all, it was, to all appearances, just a friendly chat between two captains. Never mind that one of those captains was a conniving, manipulative son of a–

"Well, I best be goin'," said Ichimaru, interrupting Kagome's train of thought. "Gotta let ya finish yer walk and all."

He nodded at Ukitake – who gave him a curt one in return – before continuing on his way.

Kagome remained frozen in place as Ichimaru brushed by her, not daring to even look at him. Doing so would attract his attention, and probably hasten her impending doom; he hadn't killed her, _yet._

She and her captain waited quietly as Ichimaru turned around the corner they had previously walked, listening to the sound of his sandals recede into the distance. As soon as they couldn't hear him anymore, Kagome visibly relaxed while letting out a silent sigh of relief.

Ukitake offered her a sympathetic smile and said, "You shouldn't let him get to you so easily, Kagome-chan."

"But you've had decades of practice," Kagome pointed out, brushing her hair out of her face with a shaky hand.

"True," admitted Ukitake, "Though he did make an excellent point."

"What?" asked Kagome, genuinely surprised that Ichimaru had shown her much-wiser captain anything.

"You are one of the best fukutaichou I have ever had, so there is no reason for me to not trust you. If you say you want access to the Daireishokairou, then I'll try to get you in," said Ukitake, smiling down at her.

"R-really?" asked Kagome, stars shining in her eyes. "You'll do that?"

"I can make no promises that you'll get in, but I'll try," reassured her white-haired captain.

"A-arigatou gozaimasu, Ukitake-taichou!" said Kagome gratefully, bowing deeply towards him.

Ukitake smiled – he almost looked uncomfortable – and said, "Now, there's no need for that. It's the least I can do for you."

"U-un," said Kagome, rising out of her bow and brushing her hair out of her eyes once more.

"Let's finish our walk. I have a mountain of paperwork waiting for me back at the office, so let's make the best of it, ne?" said Ukitake, making Kagome smile.

"Hai," she said, nodding and following her captain – Ukitake had started walking again.

Kagome had only taken a few steps when she suddenly felt a sensation of being _touched_ on the back of her neck. Ukitake's arms were at his sides (as if he'd behave in such a way), so who…?

With a gasp, Kagome whirled around, grabbing the nape of her neck with one hand. She looked around behind her wildly, searching for the one who had been touching her; to her intense bewilderment, she found herself looking at an empty street.

"What the–?" she muttered, still clutching the back of her neck.

Ukitake, who had noticed that Kagome wasn't walking in stride with him anymore, turned around and frowned with puzzlement.

"Something the matter?" he asked with concern.

"It's just…" said Kagome, and then thought better of it; perhaps she'd imagined it. "It's nothing."

"I see," said Ukitake, though he appeared unconvinced. "We should get going, then."

"R-right," said Kagome, hurrying to catch up with him.

She cast one last confused glance at the street behind her, wondering if her encounter with Ichimaru had left her feeling spooky.

But she could have sworn that someone had briefly touched the back of her neck, tangling their slender fingers through the feathery wisps of hair curling from the nape…

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) SRDI is short for the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

(2) In Japan, corniness is associated with sand being vomited out of a listener's mouth. I have no idea where in the hell it came from, but I do know that in manga, people who are listening to someone being really corny or sappy usually have a waterfall of sand coming out of their mouths. There's even a saying in Japan, that means, "That's so corny, I want to vomit sand." Perhaps it means that "This is so painful to listen to, I would rather endure the torment of having millions of grains of quartz (etc.) scrape out the insides of my stomach, throat, and mouth than listen to you"?

-o-o-o-

I'm still waiting for my money… Just kidding! I'll have plenty when Christmas comes around, 'cause my grandparents are generous. MONEY = KINGDOM HEARTS RE:CODED FOR NDS! It comes out January 11, I think. Ahem… ^.^;

Oh yeah, just to warn you. I have an bad grade in Chemistry (a classmate said, "Who doesn't?"), therefore my parents have threatened my computer privileges (again...). I'm bad at it because my evil arch-nemesis (MATH!) is foiling my every move. Unlike _some_ people I know, I at least acknowledge that if it weren't for math, we'd all still be living in huts in Africa and the Middle East.

Back to the topic… If I suddenly stop updating in a while, you know that it is because I'm trying to improve my grades. Hopefully it won't come to that. T.T

As always, thank you for your reviews and support. I look forward to what you have to say on this chapter!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	9. Confrontation

For those of you who are wondering, the feeling that Kagome felt on the back of her neck in the previous chapter was Gin (who apparently hadn't gone off on his merry way -_-;) copping a feel through her hair. ^.^; I dunno about you, but I thought that would be the kind of thing that he would do… I thought it would have been obvious what had happened, but apparently I was wrong… Sorry for the confusion, people!

Disclaimer: I may not own InuYasha or Bleach, but I certainly own my crappy Chemistry grade… T.T Hopefully the test I take tomorrow will help remedy that… (_)

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter IX: Confrontation**

-o-o-o-

_He tests her great faith  
__For all things good and turns it  
__Against her own heart_

-o-o-o-

Kagome couldn't believe her good fortune as she walked towards the sealed door of the Daireishokairou, butterflies flittering in her stomach. She was in _the_ Central 46 Compound, one of the highest restricted areas in the Seireitei. It was unbelievable that she had been allowed in, a mere fukutaichou, and in only a week! Surely the governors and judges that lived in the Compound would be more reluctant…? No matter. _She was in._

She stopped in front of the closed door of the Daireishokairou, wondering how on earth she was going to get in. There didn't appear to be any kind of panel beside the door…

When the door slid open on its own accord, Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin with fright _and_ almost slapped herself on the forehead afterward for doing so.

'_It's just a motion detector, you dummy,_' she chided herself. '_And here you were thinking you were on the set of _Star Trek_ or something._'

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kagome took her first step into the Daireishokairou.

Her first impression was of how small the room seemed to be. The shape of it resembled a nonagon, a nine-sided polygon. A long, narrow catwalk lined with rails led to a platform in the middle of the room, where a series of computer-like panels were set up on a waist-high bench. What looked like shelves lined the walls of the room, though there were no books resting there. Perhaps it was an attempt to replicate an old-fashioned library?

And Kagome's impression that the room was small had been totally off. Upon looking up, she saw that the ceiling was so far off she got dizzy with the thought of how deep underground she was. Because of this, she decided not to peek over the railing to look down, though a soft golden glow emanating from what she assumed was a giant pit below her tantalized her senses.

She jumped again when the door slid shut behind her on its own, before mentally kicking herself for being so jumpy. Swallowing hard, she made her way across the catwalk, forcing herself to not look down.

The only sound in the room was the metallic 'clack clack' of her sandals against the little bridge, as well as a faint humming noise; she couldn't pinpoint its location, but assumed it either came from below or from the computers. Her assumptions proved correct when she finally stopped in front of one of the computer panels, hearing it hum softly.

Momentarily confused, Kagome studied the panels. They were large, like big, flatscreen TVs. They also slanted toward the floor somewhat, giving the user better access. _But how did one access them?_ she wondered. There were no buttons of any sort. The way the panels were made seemed familiar, for some reason…

Kagome suddenly had a mental image of her little brother, Souta, sitting hunched over in one of the chairs in the kitchen back at the shrine, staring intently at the handheld game device he had in his hands. In one hand, he held a pencil-like object called a 'stylus', and using it, he could control the game on his Nintendo DS by having it come in contact with…

"A touch screen…" Kagome murmured, before smiling crookedly. "Sweet."

Without any hesitation, she touched one of the panels in front of her with her forefinger. With that one touch, all of the panels came alive, momentarily blinding Kagome with bright, light-blue light.

As soon as she had blinked her vision back, Kagome looked down at the computer screen and saw that a simple search engine bar had popped up on every single one of the panels, along with a hiragana keyboard.

"I prefer Google," muttered Kagome dryly, looking down at the nondescript search bar; at least the Google logo changed for a temporary period during certain yearly events.

Pausing for a moment, she typed in 'Miko no Shikon' before pushing what constituted for 'Enter' on the keyboard.

As soon as she pushed the 'Enter' button, the hiragana characters suddenly became a multitude of different kanji characters, resembling a slot machine that was still going. Kagome smiled triumphantly when the characters she was looking for finally 'lined up'.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the screen changed, still glowing a light, aquamarine blue, and neat little characters began rushing across it from the right to the left.

Kagome whistled at the multitude of data being loaded and said, "Sugee (wow), talk about state-of-the-art."

Her sapphire eyes, glowing in the blue light of the panel, focused in on the first paragraph. Her eyes skimmed over the lines as she read.

"_Probably one of the most influential and legendary figures known throughout the Soul Society is the Miko no Shikon, a living priestess that saved both the Living World and Soul Society around five hundred years ago. She is–_"

'_Blah blah blah, I already know all this. If they're trying to flatter me, it isn't working,_' thought Kagome with boredom.

She scrolled down using her finger – who invented the scrollbar first: the Living World or the Gotei 13? – looking for some _useful_ information. Her mouth nearly dropped open in disbelief as the introduction continued seemingly without end, going on about the various legends involving herself and their impact on the Soul Society.

Suddenly, the way the information was written changed – Kagome's face had assumed a dull, bored expression by then – and caught her interest.

'_Matte (wait)! That's it! Go back! Back!_' she thought desperately, scrolling upwards in order to start at the top of the new script.

Exhaling softly, Kagome found the beginning of the promising information and leaned forward to read.

"_Contrary to belief, the shinigami in Gotei 13 did lend help to the Miko no Shikon during her war against the hanyou, Naraku. While she and the others of her group fought against their adversaries, shinigami were sent out to dispose of the various Hollows that were attracted by the Miko's incredible amount of spiritual powers._"

Kagome mentally scoffed. Incredible spiritual powers? _Her?_ Compared to Midoriko, the maker of the Shikon no Tama, her powers were so miniscule that they were no match against the warrior miko. Shaking her head at the silly – in her mind – words on the screen, she continued to read.

"_The shinigami dispatched were also in charge of ferrying the myriad of souls, killed during the war, to Soul Society. During one year alone, almost two thousand souls were sent to the Soul Society during the Sengoku Jidai, an astonishing number at the time._"

'_I know_,' thought Kagome darkly. '_I was there._'

Her eyes skimmed the last couple of sentences, and she froze, anger taking over her features.

"_In no way were the shinigami allowed to interact with the Miko no Shikon and attempt to aid her. Nor was anyone to save any of the hundreds of people being massacred over the year by the minions of the Spider Demon, or by the Spider Demon himself. Anyone who attempted to disobey these orders was punished severely. Soul Society should have as little to do with the affairs of the living as possible; our mission in the Gotei 13 is to protect the living from spiritual beings other than us, the Hollows that feed on human souls._"

She stared, disbelieving at the words.

'_So,_' she thought wryly, her mouth thin in her anger, '_this is why I never saw any shinigami in the past. While hundreds of men, women, and children were slaughtered, all they did was stand by and watch. They made me and my group do all of the dirty work._'

Kagome immediately knew that her anger was misguided and unfair, and felt ashamed by it. She knew that she shouldn't blame the shinigami, when they had gone out of their way – their _own_ way, apparently – to help her group that best that they could. Apparently some had even tried to help her, or else they wouldn't have placed the information about 'shinigami disobeying orders' into the archives.

Even so, Kagome couldn't help but feel bitterness and anger towards the Gotei 13. What she experienced in the past…the death…the destruction… Perhaps her anger was something that would never fully go away.

Feeling disgusted at herself, Kagome scrolled down the panel some more, expecting to come to the end of the page. But to her surprise, she found herself looking at a black-and-white photograph. Her surprise doubled when she saw who was in it.

The photograph was not like the black-and-white photos of the living world. All of the black-and-white photos that Kagome had ever seen, most of which included pictures of her grandmother and of World War II in History, were blurred to some extent. But _this_ photo was as if someone had taken a modern-day picture and then turned it to grayscale on Photoshop.

It was a perfect photograph of Kagome during the last battle with Naraku. The windy blasts from InuYasha's Tetsusaiga blew her long hair back from her face, and made the long, wide sleeves of her fighting kimono stream back from her hands. Attached to her back was her katana – made by Toutousai himself – leaning diagonally across to her hip. And then there was her bow, gripped in her bloodstained hands, while her quiver was slung across one shoulder with its strap clinging to her chest. A holy light seemed to surround her, taking on the appearance of fire; Kagome immediately knew that the light was a bright, will-o'-wisp blue.

And her face! It was so fierce, shadows playing across it from the light she was emanating. Her teeth were gritted in silent fury, her thin eyebrows furrowed angrily. The ferocity of her gaze was intensified by the blood splattered on her face, and the soul-wrenching anger and sorrow that seemed to glow from her eyes. Blue eyes that said that she wanted this whole ordeal with Naraku to end, once and for all, so that lives could be spared.

Kagome remembered – it seemed so long ago – Shippou saying, bless his little heart, that she had looked like a tenshi, an angel, fallen from heaven to wreak retribution on Naraku for what he had done. At the time, she hadn't believed it, but now that she saw this photograph, it was more believable.

But she looked so young in this photograph, except for her eyes. Other than her gaze, her face was fresh and youthful, despite the blood splashed across it. Kagome was still young, of course, but she looked older now; she looked more like a woman than this girl in the photograph.

Kagome's eyes skipped down to the little subheading beneath the photo. It read, "_The Miko no Shikon, 'Kagome', during the final battle with the hanyou Naraku_." So Ichimaru – curse the man! – had been half-bluffing; the Daireishokairou only listed her given name, which was uncommon but not rare among Japanese girls. He must have put two-and-two together from her picture, which was outdated, and her name.

Shaking her head at the thought, Kagome reached down and touched her photographic face.

Smiling wryly, she said, a little bit of humor evident in her voice, "I look kinda scary…"

"I almost didn't recognize ya at first, ya know."

Kagome froze at the sound of the familiar voice, before whipping around with her hand on her zanpakutou hilt. She glared hatefully when she saw Ichimaru Gin – who else? – leaning on his elbow casually on the railing of the catwalk, his white-swathed arm draped loosely with his hand hanging limply downwards. The golden light from below reflected against his pale, silver hair, giving him the illusion of being a blonde.

'_I didn't hear him come in!_' thought Kagome with shock, before recovering rather swiftly.

Her body in a defensive pose, Kagome studied Ichimaru suspiciously and spat, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Ichimaru frowned a little at her blatant disregard for his status as captain, but his smirk returned a moment later.

"Ya had cut yer hair, fer one. Ya had also gotten older, too. But when I saw ya reprimandin' yer division members one day, yellin' at them so fierce, I recognized ya," he said, his smirk triumphant in a strangely friendly way.

Kagome wondered briefly when Ichimaru had seen her and what he had been doing skulking – that's what she referred to his behavior as – around the Thirteenth Division barracks. But she put that aside. Why was it that this man continued to pursue her every step?

"Don't change the subject!" she snapped with irritation. "Why are you here?"

"I'm a taichou, Kagome-chan," said Ichimaru, sounding amused. "I can go anywhere I want."

"Not in the Central 46 Compound, you're not," Kagome pointed out coldly. "Not without permission."

"But I _have_ permission, Kagome-chan," answered Ichimaru, sounding like he was thoroughly enjoying their banter. "What's with this addressin' me without my title, or even a name? That's kinda disrespectful, ya know."

"Oh, please," said Kagome with angry exasperation. "You were the one that wanted me to call you by your first name. Like we were _friends_ or something."

She tensed when Ichimaru straightened up, abandoning his leaning post against the railing. The taller man took a step towards her, and she tensed further.

"But I thought we _were_ friends, Kagome-chan," he said, cocking his head and his smirk deepening. "After all, we both hate the Soul Society."

Kagome's blinked in surprise, her mouth actually hanging open.

"W-what?" she said speechlessly, taken off-guard.

"Ya heard me," said Ichimaru, his smirk becoming sinister. "I saw how angry yer face got when ya were readin' from the Daireishokairou."

Snapping out of her stupor, Kagome spoke in a furious tone.

"That's preposterous!" she said loudly, her voice echoing off the close walls of the nonagon-shaped room. "I don't _hate_ the Soul Society! Sure, I disagree with how it's run sometimes, but that doesn't give me reason to _hate_ it!"

"Don't kid yerself, Kagome-chan," said Ichimaru, suddenly becoming serious as his smirk disappeared. "Deep down inside, ya hate the Soul Society because it didn't help ya save all those people all those years ago. Ya hate the people runnin' it because they didn't allow shinigami to help those people, so that they could live. Am I right?"

Kagome was trembling with fury. Her hands shook, and since one was still on the hilt of her zanpakutou, the lithe katana rattled around in its sheath. She was angry at him for accusing her of such a thing, but she was angry at herself because she was letting his words get to her, making her believe that maybe it was true.

"Urusei na (shut the hell up)!" she yelled, breathing heavily. "I don't care what you say! I care about the Soul Society! I care about the people in it! I care for my friends! The only thing I _hate_ is _you_!"

Ichimaru seemed amused by her internal struggle, since his smirk reappeared.

"Who are ya tryin' to convince, Kagome-chan?" he asked smugly. "Me? Or yerself?"

The fury was getting harder to control. Kagome's inner volcano was already erupting, spouting fountains of lava. Any second now, it would blow like a supervolcano that had too much pent-up pressure. She was sorely tempted to cut off Ichimaru Gin's head, just to make it go away. Unconsciously, she drew her zanpakutou out of its sheath a little bit.

"Are ya goin' to attack me, Kagome-chan? That's a serious offense, ya know," commented Ichimaru, as if he were talking about the weather.

Kagome drew her zanpakutou out a little further, her body shaking with fury and indecisiveness. Her blue eyes glared at him with hatred.

"Go on, Kagome-chan, ya know ya want to," goaded Ichimaru in an infuriating tone. "But even if ya kill me, ya know deep inside that what I say is true."

Kagome snapped. He was a liar! How dare he accuse her! Damn him! Damn him into the deepest darkest pits of Hell!

Giving a yell of rage, Kagome whipped out her katana and sprang at Ichimaru, who stood there like an upright log. She rushed at him, her teeth bared in pure anger, while she held her katana up high so that she could chop off his head the first chance she got. All that infuriating liar of a man did was stand there, smirking triumphantly because he had poisoned her mind…

And then suddenly, he was gone. Kagome had barely any time to react before a large hand latched onto her wrist with a brutal grip, causing her to cry out with surprise and pain. For a brief moment, she thought that he was going to finish what she had thought he had come to do: Kill her. But then he was suddenly aware of the front of Ichimaru's body behind her, pressed snugly against her back. An arm snaked around her front just below her collarbone and gripped her shoulder, locking her securely in place.

It was the shock of the sudden close contact that made Kagome drop her zanpakutou, not the pain in her wrist. Breathing shakily, Kagome could only stare ahead with wide eyes. She had never been in such a compromising position before, especially with a male.

Behind her, she could feel Ichimaru's solid, lean muscles pressing into her back. Involuntarily, she shivered at the sensation of him so close to her, surprised to find that it was not from disgust.

Seeing that she was disarmed, Ichimaru slowly let go of her wrist, which lowered to her side.

"That's better now, isn't it?" he said, his voice alarmingly close to her ear; she could actually _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

Kagome shivered again when she felt his warm breath tickling her ear. She figured that because of his taller stature, he was hunched over her now, like a vulture eying a tasty meal from a tree. Except…no vulture became this intimate with its prey.

"That was awfully treasonous of ya, Kagome-chan, attackin' me like that," said Ichimaru, his free hand reaching up towards her face.

His captive flinched away when his pale, white fingers entered her line of vision, unwittingly pressing herself harder against him. Ichimaru chuckled.

"It's all right. I forgive ya. It'll be our li'l secret," murmured Ichimaru in her ear, his hand caressing against her cheek.

Finding her voice, Kagome said, fear in her voice, "W-what do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

The caressing stopped, as if Ichimaru was contemplating what to say.

"Oh, fer many reasons," he said after a moment, a finger moving into her hair as it twirled one of her ebony locks around its thin girth. "I just don't think I should tell ya yet, that's all."

"Why not?" spat Kagome suddenly, causing Ichimaru's finger to cease in its movement. "Why don't you leave me alone?"

"Sweet li'l Kagome-chan," laughed Ichimaru into her ear, "perhaps it's time that I got goin'. Can't have ya pokin' yer nose in business that yer not sure that ya want part of, now do we? Ya could get hurt."

Kagome froze. _What an earth did he mean?_

The feeling of his body pressed against hers vanished, and she almost missed his warmth. _Almost_. She was disgusted with the fact that she had come close to enjoying his invasion of her personal bubble.

She was still as Ichimaru walked around her into her view, his smirk so wide that she wondered why his face hadn't split into two. The expression was so infuriating that Kagome was tempted to claw it straight off his face with her bare hands. Instead, she opted for a 'go to hell' glare that would have warned off practically any other man.

But Ichimaru wasn't practically any other man; he was an individual that seemed to take pleasure in the negative emotions he instilled in others. So instead of taking the hint, Ichimaru laughed softly and cupped her chin firmly between his thumb and forefinger. With a growl that sounded almost feral, Kagome tried to jerk her face away from his hand, but the silver-haired man had a surprisingly strong grip on her.

"Now why are ya lookin' at me like that for?" asked Ichimaru with amusement. "All I did was tell ya the truth."

She jerked her chin away with more force, this time breaking his hold on her.

"Like I would believe _you_!" Kagome snapped venomously. "You practically _ooze_ deceit, and you play mind-games with everyone you come across. I don't care what lies you feed me; my loyalty to the Soul Society won't change! It's my home!"

Ichimaru shook his head and looked off to the side and said, as if he were speaking to himself, "What makes a home, Kagome-chan…?"

It took Kagome by surprise, but then she realized that he was probably playing another of his mind games. The bastard never seemed to quit, it seemed.

"What do you–!" began Kagome angrily, but was stopped when Ichimaru placed his forefinger against her lips in a shushing motion.

"Ah, ah, ah," said Ichimaru playfully. "Remember, this is our li'l secret. Ya can't tell anyone, ne?"

"Drop dead, Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome, moving away from his touch.

"It's back to formalities now, is it?" asked Ichimaru, dropping his hand and turning to walk back down the catwalk.

He gave a strangely sad smile off to the side and asked, rhetorically, "What do I have to do to have ya call me 'Gin'?"

Kagome said nothing, but watched him warily, contempt etched on her face. She didn't move when he began to make his way for the exit.

The Daireishokairou became very quiet, the only sounds being the humming of the archive panels and the metallic clacking of Ichimaru's sandals on the catwalk. It wasn't until the silver-haired man activated the motion-sensor door and stepped through into the hallway beyond that anyone spoke.

Ichimaru turned and sent Kagome his usual smirk.

As the door began to close, he waved at her and said, quite happily, "Bai bai!"

He continued to wave, and then the door closed, blocking him from sight. Kagome stood and stared at the door for a long moment, waiting for Ichimaru to leave in case he was standing beyond the door and hanging around.

What was she to do now? She had just heard of a possible anti-Soul Society plot, which may or may not be serious. On top of that, she could do nothing, because one, Ichimaru had practically threatened to maim her if she told anyone about it, and two, if she did tell anyone, who would believe her? Even if someone did, she might become suspect to the plot because of her knowledge of it. Basically, her hands were tied.

All of the fight went out of Kagome, and she slumped to the floor, staring down at her fallen zanpakutou. Tucking her knees up against her chest, she folded her arms up on top of her kneecaps and buried her face into the darkness provided by the folded appendages.

Anger, frustration, and humiliation welled up from inside of Kagome's chest, unwanted tears welling up into her eyes. Why was it that life had it out to get her, no matter how much she tried to live as peacefully as possible? It was as if the gods themselves hated her and wanted to push as much chaos she could take upon her.

'_Why can't he just leave me alone?_' thought Kagome with desperation. '_What does he really want from me?_'

Unable to contain her frustration, she placed her mouth hard against the crook of one of her black-clothed arms and screamed loudly into the dark material, hoping to gain some relief. The muffled sound of her scream, echoing softly throughout the chamber, did little to help against her wavering beliefs.

Never before had her faith in the good of the Soul Society been tested so brutally, especially in light of the new evidence she had learned mere minutes before. Why hadn't the Gotei 13 done more to help the innocents killed in the fight with Naraku? Surely they knew that the massive death toll would tip the balance of souls leaving the Living World and being reborn into it?

Torn with indecision and wracked by doubt, all Kagome could do now was cry…for the first time in a long time.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Bwahahaha! ***rubs hands together evilly*** It's alive! It's alive! IT'SSS ALIIIVEEE! My mad scientist skills in writing have created this chapter! Did you enjoy my creation? 'Cause they sure as hell didn't. ***jerks thumb over shoulder at Edward Elric, Vexen, etc.*** Said something about my creation not being real science. T.T

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	10. Creeping Shadows

We got a whole foot of snow last night! Compared to what's happening back east, that's hardly any, but compared to what we've gotten so far this winter, it's a bunch! Then it _rained_ a little today. Now all _I_ have to do is pray that the roads are too slick for my bus to come get me tomorrow, so that I can have a snow day and celebrate it by writing more! Yay! Fingers crossed everyone! :3

We finally got our Christmas tree all set up today, actually just the lights. Then we watched 'A Christmas Story', which, in my opinion, is one of the best Christmas movies ever.

Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha or Bleach, would I _really_ be writing this disclaimer?

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter X: Creeping Shadows**

-o-o-o-

_Spinning her into  
__Their thoughts of betrayal and  
__They have plans for her_

-o-o-o-

It was well after midnight when Ichimaru Gin made his way to the rendezvous point, an obscure location within the Gotei 13. Every time there was a new meeting, there was a new meeting _place_, in order to avoid being caught wandering around late at night. Granted, he was a captain, but even captains were capable of treachery.

Stopping in one of the more narrow streets of the Gotei 13, Gin listened in order to pick up any indication that he was being followed. When he heard or sensed nothing, he turned and slipped through a wooden door to his right.

Gin found himself in an old storeroom, which was probably a thousand years old; the coating of dust covering almost every surface was probably just as old, an accumulation of dirt and skin cells of shinigami long dead. Casting a cautious glance around, he made his way towards the back of the storeroom, where he was sure that he would find the others. His suspicions were confirmed when he rounded a corner and dodged a well-aimed slice from his leader's zanpakutou.

"Easy now!" chided Gin, frowning. "Ya know it's just me."

"Can't be too careful, even if no one has been in here for hundreds of years," stated his leader, sheathing his zanpakutou with a metallic scrape.

Gin allowed his face to form into his usual smirk, eyeing his would-be attacker.

As leader of the Gin's group, Aizen Sousuke didn't look like the type to harbor ill-will towards the Soul Society, or to lust for power. Wearing glasses with square, black frames, and with wavy brown hair, Aizen looked like the type of man that you would find in a library, researching ways to make life less arduous. His friendly eyes, the color of chocolate, betrayed nothing of his inner-self; he seemed like the type of man that you could go to with your greatest secret, knowing that you could trust him with your life. Middle-aged and handsome in a scholarly way, not to mention captain of the Fifth Division, Aizen had the perfect disguise.

Gin, however, preferred to show that he was a snake through-and-through, while Aizen hid his serpentine nature away with good looks and a seemingly-kind nature.

Looking around and seeing that Aizen was the only one present, Gin grunted with surprise.

"Where's Tousen-taichou?" he asked suavely, his smirk deepening. "Ya didn't kick him out of our li'l club, did ya?"

Aizen returned his smirk and said, playfulness in his voice, "You know I can't do that, Gin. Since he is blind, I can't very well let him run around without some kind of leash. He's the only one out of the other captains that is not affected by my charade, with the exception of you."

"Hai, hai," said Gin casually, walking over to an ancient but sturdy wooden box and sitting down on top of it.

He glanced over at the only source of lighting, a single paper lamp. The fragile rice paper was not the usual white, but a dark red, which dimmed the light output considerably. It also cast strange shadows on the faces of the two captains.

"Unfortunately, Kaname couldn't make it tonight. He had other duties to attend to," continued Aizen, preferring to lean up against a heavy stack of crates.

"So it's just us, ne? Just like old times, Aizen-taichou," said Gin slyly, referring to his time as Aizen's lieutenant.

Aizen's closed his eyes and gave a short chuckle. When he opened them again, they had taken on a serious sheen.

"So, how was your encounter with Higurashi?" he asked. "She should have managed to get into the Daireishokairou; those old fools can't very well say 'no' when three captains are requesting her entry."

"She got in," said Gin, smirking eagerly at the thought of the little fukutaichou. "We had an interestin' conversation."

"Sou (really)?" asked Aizen, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards minutely. "Did you have any luck persuading her to our cause?"

Gin's smirk lessened, causing Aizen to narrow his eyes suspiciously.

"She did as we planned; she went into the Daireishokairou and looked up herself in the database," said the silver-haired captain, his smirk recovering. "Good news is that she got angry when she found out that the Gotei 13 did li'l to help her when she was fightin' monsters way back when. Bad news is that she's unwillin' to believe anythin' I say."

"Hm," said Aizen, cupping his chin in thought. "It seems that she is as stubborn and naïve as the legends say. But you can't really blame her; you are a hard person to trust, Gin. If it weren't for your…_hobby_, shall we say, I wouldn't have chosen you to recruit her."

In response, Gin let out a short, quiet laugh, his face distorted by his wide smirk. However, underneath his façade of cockiness, he was quite serious at the thought of not being able to interact with a certain person of interest.

"You didn't tell her about us, now did you?" Aizen continued in a playful tone, though his eyes took on the appearance of a thousand year-old glacier.

Gin gave a gasp of mock-surprise and said, "Ya kiddin' me? I would never do that!"

Aizen chuckled, the hardness in his eyes melting, and said, "I didn't think so. That's why you'll always be my trusted fukutaichou, Gin."

"Aw, yer words warm my heart," said Gin mockingly, placing his hand against his chest.

Aizen shook his head with exasperation, knowing Gin too well to be offended by the other's tone.

"Tell me, Gin, has a seed of doubt been planted into the little miko's heart?" he asked, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. "I know that's what you're best at."

"Ya have my word, Aizen-taichou," said Gin confidently, the shadows on his face becoming sinister. "Her pretty li'l face told me everythin' I needed to know. She'll be comin' to me for answers in no time."

Aizen's eyes lit up with praise, and he nodded at Gin to acknowledge the accomplishment.

"Good. But perhaps we should send her a message, no? Just to remind her whose side she should _really_ be on," he added after a moment, as if to himself.

"What kind of message? I hope yer not plannin' on hurtin' her," said Gin, frowning genuinely at his superior.

"Now, now, Gin," said Aizen, waving reassuringly at his ex-lieutenant. "Don't get defensive. I was thinking more along the line of you setting loose one of my Hollow experiments into the Thirteenth Division's barracks. She won't get hurt…_if_ she stays on her toes. I suppose you trust in her fighting capabilities enough for her to remain unharmed?"

Gin stiffened slightly under Aizen's gaze, the other's eyes cruelly mocking him. However, Gin wasn't one to back off of such a challenge.

"If ya say so, Aizen-taichou," he replied, smirking in a carefree way and shrugging his shoulders. "What type of Hollow do ya want?"

"The strongest we've got," said Aizen simply. "You know where I keep them, I presume?"

He had never actually shown Gin around his 'lab', but he suspected that the silver-haired man had gone snooping and found it at some point.

"Why, Aizen-taichou, I'm wounded!" stated Gin, smirking widely and confirming Aizen's suspicions. "Of course I know where they are!"

"Release the Hollow two days from now," said Aizen authoritatively. "And stick around, just so Higurashi understands who the message is from."

"Ya got it," confirmed Gin, saluting Aizen with his fore and middle finger. "I should be headin' back now, ne?"

Aizen closed his eyes and nodded in acknowledgement.

Gin slid off of the crate he was sitting on, a cloud of dust rising when his sandaled feet hit the floor. He noticed offhandedly that his white captain's haori was streaked with gray-brown; a little-known fact among the shinigami was how easy it was to stain a captain's coat and how hard it was to get it clean again.

He began to make his way away from the light of the lamp, heading into the shadows and leaving Aizen behind.

"And, Gin?"

Gin stopped and turned around, his smirk seeming to have taken on a questioning tilt.

"Hai, Aizen-taichou?" he asked, sounding as if he could listen attentively to what Aizen had to say all night.

"After you've sent our little message, feel free to pursue Higurashi to your heart's desire; perhaps _that_ will justify our cause to her. Just don't let your little _obsession_ with the girl get in the way of our plans," said Aizen, smirking at his favorite fellow shinigami.

Gin said nothing, noticing the mocking look that Aizen sent him. It slightly irritated him, since it made him seem inferior in the Fifth Division captain's eyes. The look appeared to say, _You've changed, Gin, you've gone soft._

Being practically told that he was weak from this man, whom he absolutely despised at times, made Gin grit his teeth.

Unreadable as always, he chuckled and said, "Yer quite a mind-reader, Aizen-taichou. How did ya know that I wanted li'l Kagome-chan all to myself?"

A shadow flitted across Aizen's face, and Gin was satisfied to see that the mocking expression had disappeared. Aizen was probably not happy that his silver-haired ex-lieutenant had not even given his warning a second thought, and it filled Gin with glee.

"'Night, Aizen-taichou!" said Gin cheerfully, sending his ex-captain a wave as he walked into the shadows.

Once he was out of sight of the other captain, the smirk on his face widened sinisterly. Since when did anyone tell him what he, when it came to his personal life, could or could not do?

To put it simply, what Ichimaru Gin wanted, he got, and didn't give a damn what anyone said to persuade him otherwise.

'_And what I want,_' thought Gin optimistically, '_is Ukitake's pretty li'l fukutaichou._'

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Did you enjoy it? I hope you did! As always, I would appreciate it if you reviewed, 'cause I love reading what you have to say!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	11. Catch 22

I have decided, as Christmas present for my readers, that I will upload _three_ chapters for you enjoy. Here is the first part of the present. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach. It's Christmas, so back off, lawyers!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XI: Catch-22**

-o-o-o-

_Surrounded by death  
__And chaos, his touch stops time  
__For a few seconds_

-o-o-o-

Kagome sensed the Hollow before she ever even heard it.

She had been on a stroll with one of the newer recruits, a young woman – three or four years her junior – named Matsuoka Eiko, whom she had become friendlily acquainted with over the past couple of months. Out of all of the new recruits, Eiko was one of the most promising, due to her not completely losing her head when confronted with Hollows. Plus, Kagome found Eiko's extremely touchy temper to be amusing, probably because it reminded her of herself when she was younger.

Kagome and Eiko had been walking the premises of the Thirteenth Division when suddenly she felt a familiar, foreboding feeling, followed by an icy anguish in her chest. She stopped dead in the middle of the paved path, and Eiko looked around curiously at her superior.

"Is there something the matter, Higurashi-fukutaichou?" asked Eiko with concern, seeing Kagome's suddenly pale face.

Frowning, Kagome tried to discern where the feeling of foreboding and anguish was coming from; she only got the anguish when there was something wrong with a soul nearby. Coupled with the foreboding, it could only mean one thing. Instinctively, Kagome gripped the hilt of her zanpakutou, which was wrapped in her personal myriad of light-yellow, electric-blue, and neon-purple ribbons.

_A Hollow_. There was a Hollow nearby, she was sure of it.

A second after this revelation, the bone-chilling howl that ripped through the air confirmed what her senses had told her.

Eiko grabbed the hilt of her own zanpakutou, crouching into a defensive pose with a furrowed brow.

"Nani?" she gasped. "A Hollow, _her_e? How did it get in?"

Now was not the time to stand around pondering questions that they didn't know the answers to. Judging from the huge sense of foreboding, the Hollow in question was no pushover.

"Come, Matsuoka-chan!" said Kagome commandingly, gesturing forward before breaking into a run.

The raven-haired fukutaichou of the Thirteenth Division didn't check to see if Eiko was following; her ears told her that the recruit was running a short distance behind her. Using her senses, she tried to discern the direction of the Hollow and found that it seemed to be in the vicinity of the barrack's main courtyard, a short ways to her left.

Without a word to her subordinate, Kagome made a sharp ninety-degree angle in the Hollow's direction, her feet moving so fast that they hardly seemed to touch the ground. She heard Eiko struggling to keep up with her, and wished, for the moment, that the girl wasn't with her. It was a cold thought, but without Eiko, Kagome could have used shunpo to reach the intruder by now; instead, she was being dragged down so that she could keep an eye on the younger girl, ensuring the other's safety against the Hollow.

'_It'll be good exercise for her,_' thought Kagome, shrugging off the guilt that she felt for wishing to abandon Eiko.

The sounds of men shouting in pain and surprise came from up ahead, followed by the rumble and crash of parts of a building collapsing. Another howl erupted from the Hollow, causing the air to ring with vibrations, and Kagome increased her pace.

Coming out from between the dojo and the mess hall, Kagome skidded to a halt. Eiko ran up behind her, proceeding to step out into the courtyard, but Kagome threw out an arm to block the errant girl's path.

Silent and brow furrowed, Eiko's superior scanned the area with a critical eye. Cobblestones were torn up out of the courtyard, and the packed dirt beneath was scattered here and there, huge gouges torn in the earth. A nearby building's front had collapsed, along with a tree in the front, but the main structure remained intact. Several of Kagome's subordinates were crouched in defensive poses, their zanpakutou at the ready.

Kagome narrowed her eyes; her men were turning this way and that, acting like scared mice awaiting an owl's strike in the dark. Several wounded had been dragged off to the side by their more able fellows, their blood staining the cobblestones red; a couple of them weren't moving. And there was no sign of the creature that had caused the damage. _Where was the Hollow?_

Feeling extremely uneasy, Kagome stepped cautiously into the courtyard, keeping Eiko back into the little alley. She recognized one of the men standing guardedly in the courtyard and called out.

"Arimachi-san! Where is it!" she yelled, her sword arm near the hilt of her zanpakutou.

Eyes widening with shock and panic, Arimachi turned towards Kagome's voice. A minute, relieved look appeared on his face when he caught sight of the division's lieutenant.

"Higurashi-fukutaichou!" he called urgently. "The Hollow…! It can turn–!"

But before he could finish what he was going to say, a deep, long slash appeared seemingly out of nowhere on his torso, spurting blood high into the air. The men and women standing around him gasped in horror, shifting with panic.

Giving a choked sound, Arimachi stumbled forward in a bent posture, his zanpakutou dropping to the cobblestones. Then he slumped down onto his knees and fell spread-eagled onto his face, a motionless body.

Kagome heard Eiko give a gasp, and saw out of the corner of her eye that the younger girl had covered her mouth with her hand.

'"_It can turn invisible"? Is that what you were going to say, Arimachi?_' thought Kagome, her hand gripping the hilt of her zanpakutou tightly as she scanned the area carefully.

Where was it hiding? It was probably standing in plain sight, blending in with its background.

Hearing a faint, barely-discernable rushing sound, Kagome drew her zanpakutou with a quick, fluid movement, bringing it up in a defensive posture.

_Clang!_

The resulting impact shook her to her core, but Kagome stood strong against the invisible force that was pushing against her. She braced her arm against the flat of her blade, allowing her to remain standing in an erect pose. Now she could feel the hot, sickly breath of the Hollow raining down on her, and for a moment, the camouflage of the creature flickered.

What Kagome saw in that instant was that the Hollow was very large and reptilian. What she also saw was that the Hollow's huge, curled tail was swinging, aiming to crash down on…

'_Eiko!_' thought Kagome urgently, shoving at the Hollow unexpectedly to put it off guard and then gripping the frozen girl by the collar of her uniform.

Kagome jumped a safe distance away, actually picking up the slightly-taller girl and carrying her along.

"Matsuoka-chan! Get control of yourself!" said Kagome angrily, snapping her fingers sharply under Eiko's nose.

Eiko blinked her large brown eyes and seemed to come out of her state of shock.

"R-right!" she stammered, drawing her zanpakutou and getting into a defensive crouch, standing back-to-back with Kagome.

"Everyone! Find a partner and follow our example!" Kagome called out to the other shinigami, who were standing about like frightened rabbits.

Kagome was grateful that at least Eiko had remembered one of the first defensive tactics that she had taught the younger girl. By standing back to back, there was less chance of an unseen enemy sneaking up and attacking in a blind spot. Plus, two pairs of eyes were better than one.

'_Unless, of course,_' thought Kagome with momentary humor, '_your partner happens to be blind._'

By now, everyone that was still capable of fighting was standing back-to-back; there was an odd man out, so there was actually a group of three huddled together. The only sound present was of the faint wind rustling the leaves of the trees and the soft, expectant pants of the waiting shinigami.

'_Sooner or later,_' thought Kagome, scanning the courtyard for any sign of movement, '_you're going to have to show yourself._'

There was a soft rustling sound off to Kagome's right, and she tensed expectantly, watching the direction of the noise out of the corner of her eyes.

"_So hungryyyy…_"

The voice was a deep and low, almost as difficult to hear as the communicative rumbles emitted by elephants; the only sound that Kagome could liken it to was the English voice of the guardian of the Cave of Wonders on _Aladdin_, an assignment for her English class while living. The hairs on the back of Kagome's neck rose, since it was like hearing Satan himself speak.

Mere seconds after the deep voice had spoken, there was a quiet, whistling sound. It was heading straight for Kagome and her partner.

"Back!" cried Kagome, pushing Eiko out of the way just as a heavy, unseen force smashed into the cobblestones where they had been standing moments before.

It was then, for some unknown reason, that the Hollow revealed itself fully for the first time.

Kagome's head craned upwards towards the Hollow's reptilian mask, taking in the sheer size of the creature, a size she had misjudged. When she had caught a glimpse of the Hollow before, she had seen that it was very large, but now that she could see all of it for more than a couple of seconds, she found that it was huge.

The Hollow was as long as a bus, not counting its tail, and nearly as tall as a giraffe. Its body resembled a lizard's, the positioning of its legs giving it a squat appearance. Actually, along with the shape and design of the mask, as well as the tail that curled underneath, the Hollow looked like one of those African-variety chameleons that were blessed with large, horny crests on their heads. Perhaps that explained its ability to cloak itself.

"_Must eattttt,_" rumbled the Hollow, its glowing yellow eyes fixed intently on the shinigami facing up against it.

Kagome frowned when she noticed a peculiar characteristic that the Hollow had. It seemed emancipated, its skin and bone plates clinging loosely to its large frame. Hollows were always hungry, always eating; was it even possible for one to look so…_wasted?_

Glancing around, Kagome saw with a sinking heart that all of the shinigami present were newcomers; it was as if the Hollow had purposely picked the prey that would give it the least amount of trouble. With so little real-life experience, and with an opponent that even she found troublesome, there was little chance of them being able to help in her in defeating the Hollow.

"Recruits! Gather the dead and wounded and retreat! Matsuoka-chan, go for reinforcements!" ordered Kagome, resulting in surprised grunts from the able-bodied shinigami present.

"But Higurashi-fukutaichou–"

"Shouldn't we–"

Eiko's infamous temper surfaced.

Face reddening, the shinigami girl shouted, "Why are you sending us away? Aren't we strong enough to support you? This should be our chance to prove ourselves to you!"

Shaking her head at Eiko's foolishness, Kagome turned to her subordinate. She kept a close eye on the Hollow, which seemed to be looking for a tasty morsel among those gathered.

"Are you disobeying my orders, Matsuoka-chan?" asked Kagome curtly. "When I tell you to retreat, you retreat! Understood? Or do I need to remind you of how you froze up back there?"

Apparently Eiko was more headstrong than Kagome had previously suspected, because this last comment had a negative effect.

Turning on her heel and facing the Hollow, Eiko promptly disobeyed her superior officer's orders by rushing toward the soul-eating creature, her zanpakutou held high.

"Eiko-chan!" the others called after her in horror, Kagome included.

Kagome used shunpo to try and catch up with her disobeying subordinate, but the Hollow, which had been acting somewhat lethargic, was not about to pass up this chance for such an easy meal. Faster than one could have believed of such a wasted-looking creature, the Hollow opened up its mouth and a long, ropy tongue shot out. The end was large and fleshy like a chameleon's tongue, but instead of sticky barbs covering it, there were bone-like projections; they looked chillingly similar to harpoon hooks.

Seconds before Kagome could have grabbed Eiko to safety, the Hollow's harpoon-tongue drove itself into the shinigami girl's abdomen, burying itself into her flesh with a large spurt of blood. An agonized scream tore from Eiko's lips, causing terrifying panic to rise within Kagome's body. Several of the other recruits had broken in action when Eiko had taken off running, but they skidded to a halt when they saw Eiko get impaled by the Hollow's tongue.

Golden eyes narrowing excitedly, the Hollow began to pull its tongue back into its mouth. Because there were hooks on the end of its tongue, Eiko moved along with the muscly appendage. She screamed in pain as the hooks dug into her internal organs, her bloodied hands scrabbling at the tongue to try and get rid of it.

But before the Hollow could get its meal, Kagome was suddenly there, her face dark with fury. With a raged-filled yell, she cut the Hollow's thick tongue right in half, resulting in a howl of anger and agony from the masked being. Slipping an arm around Eiko, Kagome prevented the younger girl from falling to the ground, holding out her zanpakutou defensively.

Instead of backing off at this new threat, the Hollow swiped at Kagome, hissing like an angry crocodile. Due to her awkward position, she just barely blocked it, and one of the Hollow's long claws managed to find its way past her blade. The claw managed to rake the side of Kagome's face, leaving a thin, bleeding cut that began to shed droplets of blood.

The other recruits had broken out of their terrified stupor and were now hurrying to aid their superior. But just before they reached Kagome and Eiko, the angry Hollow suddenly turned and raised its head, appearing to be listening to something that was either too low or too high in pitch for the shinigami to hear.

Before any of the recruits could react, the Hollow gave another deafening howl and loped off to its left. Everyone watched in mystification as the Hollow exited the courtyard, running off into the depths of the Thirteenth Division's barracks. No one said anything for a moment, not knowing what to make of the Hollow's strange behavior.

It was Kagome who moved first, taking charge of the situation.

"You!" she barked, looking at one of the male recruits, a tall teenage boy with shaggy blonde hair.

Jumping in surprise, the recruit stammered, "H-hai, Higurashi-fukutaichou?"

"Name?"

"Y-yusa Kazuhiko, Higurashi-taichou!" said the shaggy-headed boy, snapping to attention.

"Yusa-san, gather the wounded and make sure that they get immediate medical attention. Understood?"

"Ha, Higurashi-fukutaichou!" said Yusa, nodding seriously.

Kagome turned to a rather portly boy, about the same age as Yusa, who made a choking noise when he saw his superior's serious and deadly gaze on him.

"Amuro Shou!" cried the portly boy without being asked, resulting in a hint of amusement in Kagome's features.

"Amuro-san, you will go for reinforcements. Am I clear?"

Nodding vigorously, Amuro said, "Ha, Higurashi-taichou!"

Kagome nodded once in affirmation and handed an unconscious Eiko over to Yusa Kazuhiko, who began calling to the other recruits to help him get the wounded to a safer location. Amuro was already running off in the opposite direction the Hollow had taken, hoping to find a squadron of shinigami with more experience to help Kagome.

Seeing that everyone's attention was diverted into getting the wounded out safely, Kagome took off running in the direction that the Hollow had disappeared, covering more ground now that Eiko was no longer struggling to keep up behind her. She avoided using shunpo, hoping to conserve her reiryoku (spiritual energy) in case the Hollow was more troublesome than it appeared.

Her footsteps echoed down the small side-street, another opening between two buildings. She wondered how the Hollow had managed to squeeze itself through here.

Coming up to an intersecting street, Kagome wondered which direction the Hollow had taken. She decided to run on straight, ignoring the intersection altogether.

"Looks like ya have yer work cut out fer ya."

Kagome skidded to a halt, turning and looking around wildly. She was filled with rage when she saw Ichimaru Gin leaning against one of the buildings at the intersection, his arms folded and his infamous smirk etched across his face.

"You!" growled Kagome, taking long, angry strides before standing directly in front of Ichimaru. "Did _you_ do this?"

"Just a li'l reminder of what we were talkin' about the other day. Do ya want to change sides now?" asked Ichimaru humorously, unperturbed by Kagome's bloody appearance.

Before Kagome knew what she was doing, she had her zanpakutou's sharp blade pressed snugly against Ichimaru's throat. The silver-haired man was forced to press his head tightly against the building he was leaning against in order to try and avoid being cut by the cold steel. He appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and Kagome was tempted to mutilate him.

"You bastard!" Kagome hissed with fury. "That Hollow _killed_ some of my men!"

"Easy now–" began Ichimaru suavely, before Kagome pressed her zanpakutou tighter into his neck.

A thin cut appeared on Ichimaru's neck, and droplets of red began to well and slide down onto Kagome's zanpakutou blade.

"Urusei!" snapped Kagome savagely. "You have some nerve, you bastard, setting a Hollow on the recruits in the Thirteenth Division! I oughta _slit_ your throat!"

"Then why don't ya?" asked Ichimaru, egging her on despite being at her mercy.

Kagome's reiatsu (spiritual pressure) spiked sharply and she pressed Ichimaru tighter against the wall. She could do it…

Shaking her head, Kagome gained control of her anger. If she killed Ichimaru, she could kiss her life at the Gotei 13 goodbye. In fact, she could kiss her _life_ goodbye, because they would undoubtedly execute her for such an act. If she killed Ichimaru…

"Iya," said Kagome, relieving some of the pressure of her blade on Ichimaru's neck, "if I did that, than I would be no better than a heartless bastard like _you_."

"Heartless?" chuckled Ichimaru, and Kagome scowled.

Reaching out with his hand, the silver-haired man made an attempt to touch her face with his spidery fingers. In response, Kagome reapplied the pressure of her zanpakutou on his neck.

"_Don't touch me,_" Kagome growled warningly through gritted teeth; what was it with this man and his desire to touch her every time they met?

Ichimaru's smirk transformed, becoming an apologetic smile. His brow furrowed, and was nearly convinced that he looked sorry for what he had done to the Thirteenth Division's recruits. Shocked at the change, Kagome unconsciously lowered her zanpakutou, staring at the foreign expression on Ichimaru's face.

Then she caught herself, expecting this to be another trick from Ichimaru's unending bag of mind-games. Her scowl reappeared on her face, and she pressed her zanpakutou's blade against his neck once more.

"Heh…" said Ichimaru, finding her actions amusing. "Ya better get goin', if ya don't want yer quarry to run into another batch of helpless shinigami."

Growling in frustration, Kagome glared up at him for another moment more before jerking her zanpakutou away from his neck. Her sword arm lowered and she held her blade tightly by her side, ready to act in case Ichimaru made any sudden moves.

"One day, Ichimaru-taichou, you'll get yours," she hissed, throwing the tall man a malevolent glance.

She turned to leave, her feet beginning to break into a jog, when suddenly Ichimaru's large hand latched onto her wrist tightly. Her sword arm was now immobilized.

Panic filled Kagome, and she desperately tried to wrench her hand free from that vice-like grip as she was swung around. Her back was inevitably about to hit the wall of the building that Ichimaru had been leaning against previously.

'_You fool!_' she thought. '_You turned your back on him, knowing that he was fully capable of this!_'

Crying out, Kagome tried to get away as Ichimaru swung her towards the wall. She panicked not just because of being caught, but because of the time being wasted when she could have been trying to destroy the Hollow.

All of the air left her lungs as her back hit the wall, causing a choking sound to emerge from her throat. She barely had any time to catch her breath before Ichimaru was there, shrouding her with his white-clad body.

"What are you–!" began Kagome with panic, and then Ichimaru's lips were suddenly on hers.

The kiss started out surprisingly chaste, with Ichimaru's startlingly soft, warm lips pressed upon hers. Kagome let out a surprised squeak, her body going rigid under the foreign touch. But she slowly turned to jelly when the male's lips began to move possessively over hers.

Teeth nibbled teasingly on her bottom lip, silently asking permission to take the kiss beyond its current state. She was certain that her lips were going to bleed when the nibbles became more insistent and painful, but didn't grant the entry that Ichimaru desired. She immediately lost the battle when he switched tactics, giving her bottom lip a short lick. Gasping at the sharp pain – he _had _bitten her lip! – Kagome gave another squeak when Ichimaru's tongue entered her mouth.

He tasted strongly of persimmons with a hint of some other flavor, something salty yet sweet at the same time. Kagome was shocked at how eager Ichimaru seemed to be to slowly and carefully map every spot in her mouth with his tongue, taking it as seriously as if it were an art form. She was also shocked to find that she didn't find Ichimaru's 'frenching' to be repulsive; perhaps she had finally lost her mind?

Kagome's legs began to wobble dangerously, and she was unsure whether she would be able to keep standing. Ichimaru must have sensed her predicament, because he let go of her wrist and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. His other hand cradled the back of her head, toying with her hair and running his long fingers through her ebony locks; Kagome found that she was quite sensitive to being touched in her hair and on her scalp.

Although Kagome didn't respond (due to her shock), Ichimaru's ministrations awoke a burning fire within her stomach. Every touch that the silver-haired man gave her stoked the fire even hotter, until she felt a strange _need_ growing between her legs. And the fire didn't end there, either. Wherever he touched her seemed to burn so much that it nearly hurt.

Surfacing for air, Ichimaru inhaled deeply and then leaned in towards her ear. Kagome shivered when she heard and felt his panting breath on the sensitive skin there.

"Better hurry," whispered Ichimaru tauntingly, sending shivers up Kagome's spine.

And then suddenly, he was gone, probably having spirited himself away using shunpo. For a second, Kagome stood on her own two legs. But the trembling in her limbs soon made her succumb, and she slid downwards, using the support of the wall behind her. She sat there, staring uncomprehendingly at the opposite building.

'_Ichimaru-taichou…_kissed_ me? What the–?_' thought Kagome, her mind doing summersaults.

She probably would have sat there for the rest of her life if it were not for the ear-shattering howl that echoed from nearby. The foreboding, icy feeling returned within her chest.

Shaking out of her reverie, Kagome remembered that she had a Hollow to hunt down. That was Ichimaru's game, after all. The kiss… Kagome rubbed her swollen, chapped lips, wincing slightly when the shallow incisions there stung from the salt of her sweat on her skin. The kiss…was _it_ a part of the game? Something to take her mind off track?

'_If it is, it sure worked,_' thought Kagome dryly, and then shook her head; she was wasting time.

She retrieved her zanpakutou, which she appeared to have dropped at some point, and got shakily to her feet. For a moment, she stood so to make sure that she wouldn't fall over the first step she took. Once she was sure that her legs were stable enough, she broke into a jog, heading towards the direction that she had heard the Hollow from.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome resumed her course back down the street she had chosen. She didn't notice, in her concentration to locate the Hollow, that she was hoping that the kiss _hadn't _been part of the game.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Oh dear… ***swoons*** I believe that writing this took a little bit out of me… ***blushes*** All of us Gin fans should be temporarily satisfied by _that_ bit… :D~

Until next time, ja ne! ^o^ – HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	12. Battle Ignition

Here's the second part of the Christmas present. Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or InuYasha. I SAID, BACK OFF LAWYERS! NO TOUCHY!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XII: Battle Ignition**

-o-o-o-

_Eyes bound by white cloth  
__She listens for the Hollow  
__To strike out at her_

-o-o-o-

'_It's hidden itself again,_' thought Kagome cautiously.

She was currently standing in the opening of a narrow alley between two buildings, a temporary sanctuary from what was to come. Yet Kagome knew that even here she was not safe; the Hollow had proven itself to be surprisingly agile when it came to maneuvering its way through the narrow back alleys of the Thirteenth Division's barracks.

The wind blew through the grove of trees that stood off to the courtyard's left, creating a sound similar to the rushing of waves on a beach. Unlike the courtyard that Kagome had left previously, this one was smaller and was obviously built on as an afterthought; Kagome suspected that no one ever used it.

There was evidence of the Hollow here. Cracked cobblestones, huge dents in the walls of nearby buildings, gash marks on nearly every type of surface… Kagome suspected that the Hollow was slowly being driven mad by hunger, since she didn't feel any shinigami presence's nearby. Why else would such a creature tear up the barracks when there was no one about?

The hairs on the back of Kagome's neck pricked up, and a seventh sense – shinigami had six – told her that the Hollow was very near. Reacting instinctively, Kagome leapt out into the courtyard, drawing her zanpakutou in preparation. Mere seconds later, the entrance of the alleyway where she had been standing suddenly collapsed into itself as something huge tore up the sides of the two buildings that surrounded it.

Kagome waited expectantly, her zanpakutou at the ready as she peered into the dusty gloom that was what was left of the alleyway. Even if the Hollow was invisible, the powdery dust would surely stick to it and reveal its form.

Something moved amidst the curtain of falling dust, and Kagome squinted her eyes as she tried to make out what it was. Almost too late she realized that it was the Hollow's curled, chameleon-like tail lashing out at her. Ducking, she had to lay almost flat against the paved ground beneath her to avoid the crushing blow that she would have undoubtedly received if she hadn't ducked sooner.

A faint, whistling sound reached her ears and Kagome scrambled to her feet. She jumped away from her previous spot and knew that her assumption had been right when the sound of cracking cobblestones and the blast of air came from behind her: the Hollow had attempted to jump on her.

Kagome took up the defensive position again as she watched the Hollow. She smirked when she saw that a fine layer of greyish dust coated the creature's form, outlining it perfectly. If the dust stayed on, she would have no trouble locating it.

But the Hollow, despite its growing insanity, was quite intelligent. It gave a growl of what seemed to be laughter, a deep noise that reverberated up into Kagome's feet, and its skin seemed to twitch under the layer of dust. Then, like a wet dog, it vigorously shook itself free of the dust and left it invisible once more. Kagome swallowed; a Hollow that could become invisible and was dangerously fast, not to mention agile, was more than a cakewalk.

Gripping her zanpakutou's brightly-colored hilt tightly, Kagome gritted her teeth in annoyance. This Hollow was too powerful to fight with a sealed zanpakutou; she would have to use her Shikai (Initial Release) in order to fight it without worrying about her head being smashed in.

The Hollow was coming at her again; she could hear the barely-discernable whistle of air rushing against its body. Without knowing where exactly the Hollow was coming from, Kagome was forced to dodge to the side blindly. She knew that she had made a mistake when the foreboding feeling in her body increased to an almost paralyzing level.

Five parallel lines of what felt like burning fire erupted on her back, and Kagome cried out at the sensation. She stumbled to the ground and crawled to get away from the Hollow, who had obviously scratched her with its long, nasty claws.

Grunting in pain, Kagome forced herself to stand erect and faced the general direction of where she believed that the Hollow was hiding. A sticky, warm wetness began to soak quickly into the back of her shihakushou and Kagome realized that she was angry at the Hollow for daring to harm her.

"You know what, you stupid Hollow?" said Kagome, panting from the intense, burning pain on her back. "You're _really_ starting to piss me off."

"_So tastyyy…_" rumbled the Hollow in response, and Kagome wrinkled her nose in disgust as she heard a wet, slurping sound; the Hollow was licking her blood off of its claws with what was left of its tongue.

Eye twitching in irritation, Kagome held her zanpakutou out at arm's length with one hand, the top edge of the katana facing her body. Reaching out to her zanpakutou with her mind, she harmonized herself with her other half.

In a loud, commanding voice, she said, "Pierce the heavens, Rai'Rinne ('Thunder Reincarnation')!"

There was the distinct smell of ozone as visible charges of bright-blue electricity erupted in arcs from Rai'Rinne's blade. Then a shock wave – surrounded by blue, yellow, and purple sparks of intense, neon color – burst out from the zanpakutou as it began to change form, a crack of thunder following in the wave's wake. Rai'Rinne began to glow with a golden light, its form lengthening and its blade changing position and shape. The multicolored sparks died into nothing as the shock wave dissipated, and the glow around Rai'Rinne faded as the zanpakutou fully transformed into its Shikai.

Kagome now held a beautiful, elegant scythe (1), which was almost a whole head taller than her. The staff of the weapon, which had previously been the hilt, now rested firmly against the ground, wrapped in the same leathery ribbons and in the same colors – electric-blue, neon-purple, and bright-yellow. Loose ribbons fluttered in the breeze, their ends tattered as if they were quite old; their iridescent brilliance, however, disproved that fact.

The blade of Rai'Rinne was actually quite simple for Shikai form. Now a light-blue steel, which was unusual for a Shikai, the blade of the scythe curved out and down to nearly a meter in length. The tip was sharp, and the edge of the blade was so fine that it looked nearly transparent. There was a circular-shaped notch in the steel near where the blade was jointed to the staff by an extension of itself; the staff fitted perfectly into the extension. On this extension were three short spikes curving down opposite of the blade.

To others, Rai'Rinne may have looked gaudy, but to Kagome she was the epitome of lightning. Despite her name, the zanpakutou's main power was over the superheated charges that fell from the sky; the thunder she created was an aftereffect.

"Try and hide now, Hollow," said Kagome venomously, smirking and slicing her zanpakutou through the air. "Rai'Rinne will tear you apart."

Taking the zanpakutou's staff into both hands, she sliced out in the direction she believed that the Hollow was standing. She poured her reiryoku into Rai'Rinne, mixing it with the zanpakutou's, and an arc of lightning shot out into the courtyard.

Rai'Rinne had her name for a reason. The lightning split itself into two halves, which in turn split again, making four bolts of lightning. This continued until the air filled with lightning strikes, the thunder they created echoing over the Thirteenth Division's barracks. Kagome stood absolutely still as charges of superheated energy, one of the purest forms in the world, branched past her head in colors of purple, yellow, and blue, with variations in-between. The only reason that Kagome wasn't hit was because Rai'Rinne generated an electric field consisting of randomly-distributed electrons and protons, which counteracted the positive and negative charges of the lightning strikes. It wasn't a perfect system, but Kagome hadn't been hit by her own lightning yet.

Raising Rai'Rinne high into the air, Kagome watched as the lightning she had conjured went straight for the curved, metal blade of her zanpakutou. She experienced a strange tingling in her hand as Rai'Rinne absorbed the powerful charges, but suffered no ill effects from it. Within seconds, the air was clear, and the only sign that the lightning had been there was the smell of ozone and the fact that Kagome's hair was crackling with static.

Kagome cautiously surveyed the empty courtyard before her. Surely Rai'Rinne's charges had destroyed the Hollow? Then why hadn't the Hollow reappeared as it had died? Something was fishy…

A deep, animalistic growl emanated somewhere from behind and above Kagome. The shinigami lieutenant's eyes widened in shock, and she whipped around with Rai'Rinne's blade ready to block. The resulting blow that rammed against Rai'Rinne was so strong that it nearly knocked Kagome off her feet.

It was then that Kagome realized that the only thing she had accomplished was pissing the Hollow off. A pissed-off Hollow was _not_ a good Hollow.

'_Dammit! Where the hell are those reinforcements I sent for?_' thought Kagome desperately as she barely managed to ward off another tremendous blow. '_I can't see the damn thing–_'

A strange thought struck her. She couldn't _see_ the Hollow when it attacked, but she could _hear_ it, just barely.

Kagome knew that when one sense was cut off, the remaining four became more acute. Seeing wasn't helping her any, so what if she blindfolded herself? Maybe then, with sharper hearing, she could defeat the Hollow. The only problem with this plan was that Kagome was pretty sure that the Hollow wasn't just going to stop and wait like a good little Minus while she untied the white hakama-himo (sash) from around her waist and bound her eyes with it.

Barely blocking yet another swipe by the Hollow (which felt a semi truck had just rammed into Rai-Rinne at full speed), Kagome panted and said, "Say, Hollow-san, how 'bout we take, I don't know, a five-minute break? How does that sound?"

An enraged howl from the Hollow and another swipe gave her the answer she had been expecting. However, a battle-hardened shinigami like Kagome always liked to remain optimistic when faced with certain doom.

"Five-minute break! Got it! 'Kay, thanks!" Kagome called to the Hollow as she turned tail and ran, using shunpo to get as far away as needed.

Running down a nearby alley and ducking behind a building, Kagome winced when she heard and felt the Hollow collide with her hiding place. Debris fell from the roof and fell near Kagome's sandaled feet.

Kagome's hands shook from blood loss as she hurriedly untied the white sash from around her waist. She was disturbed to see that it had soaked totally through with blood in the back, but was forced to brush her worry aside when she heard an angry roar from the Hollow. A second later, one of the Hollow's hands punched through the wall next to her head, scrambling for a hold on her.

The ebony-haired shinigami merely stepped a couple spaces away to avoid the reach of the starving Hollow.

Folding the sash in half twice, Kagome quickly tied the hakama-himo over her eyes (2). She felt momentary panic when she could no longer see anything, but forced herself to relax. Her hand felt for the staff of her zanpakutou, which she had leaned up against the wall next to her – Rai'Rinne was busy complaining that she was not some mop to lean in a corner whenever Kagome felt like it.

Kagome cocked her head, listening for where the Hollow was in the building behind her, and then used shunpo to run back to the courtyard. She heard the Hollow emerge from the wreckage of what was once a small warehouse, growling deeply with impatience.

"Lookee here, Hollow. I can't see!" coaxed Kagome loudly, passing Rai'Rinne teasingly back and forth in her hands in front of her.

She swallowed when she heard the Hollow hesitate; she certainly hoped the Hollow was desperate enough to attack her, because it certainly wasn't stupid.

There was a barely-audible sound of the Hollow taking a step. Then there was nothing, until Kagome dodged out of the way when she heard air rushing against the soul-eater's body. It was coming for her, fast. With no time to retaliate, Kagome had no choice but to get out of the way and try again.

Taking up a defensive stance, Kagome became serious in her tactic to listen for the Hollow. She was quiet except for her breathing, which she thought was too loud. Her blue eyes searched blindly for something that they wouldn't see even if she hadn't been blindfolded. Sweat began to soak into Rai'Rinne's hilt, and Kagome gripped her zanpakutou even tighter; it would be embarrassing and probably fatal if she tried to slice at the Hollow and her weapon went flying out of her hands.

She tensed very slightly when she heard the silent Hollow move again, this time from behind her. Swallowing, she counted her breaths to steady herself. The sound of air hitting a body was closer… It was almost there….

Whirling around suddenly, Kagome took the Hollow off-guard by giving a battle cry. She sliced sideways out in front of her, feeling her blade meet more resistance than wind. Smirking triumphantly, she added more strength to the slash, and the Hollow howled in pain as she sliced into it.

Just to make sure, Kagome jumped back and then lifted up her blindfold to see what damage she had caused. She smiled with relief when she saw that she had cut through the Hollow's large, white mask and that the reptilian-like Hollow was fading away into nothingness. Soon the air where the Hollow had stood was empty, though the Hollow's scream of agony still echoed in Kagome's ears.

Kagome sank to her knees when she suddenly felt drained. All of the adrenaline that had been keeping her going was gone; her limbs began to shake visibly. With a shaking hand, the Thirteeth Division's lieutenant removed her makeshift blindfold and set her zanpakutou down. Rai'Rinne reverted back to her sealed form with a soft, golden glow, seeming to give a small sigh of contentment as she did so.

"Stupid Hollow…" Kagome muttered, ruffling her disheveled hair unconsciously.

She changed positions, drawing her knees up and resting her arms loosely against her kneecaps. Her eyes felt heavy from drowsiness. The pain in her back had faded to a dull throb, though she could feel a pump of wetness there every time her heart beat.

'_So tired,_' thought Kagome, her head nodding forward slightly.

"I don't think ya wanna do that," came an annoying familiar voice from nearby.

Sluggishly, Kagome turned her head around and saw that Ichimaru Gin was standing on the roof of the building next to her. The breeze was ruffling his captain's haori and his silver – tinged with purple in certain light – hair. Like whenever Kagome saw him, he was smirking.

Feeling a sudden rush of anger, Kagome's face managed to turn red with fury and embarrassment.

"You!" she spat, pointing up at him. "You stole my first kiss, fox-face!"

Ichimaru's smirk widened with what seemed to be pleasure.

Then he bowed, sweeping his arm out like a gentleman, and said, "It was my honor to take it, Kagome-chan."

"I oughta–!" began Kagome, and then the sound of running and shouting caught her attention, drawing her eyes away from the lean figure of the Third Division's captain.

A few seconds later, a squadron of shinigami – lead by Kiyone and Sentarou – burst into the courtyard. Glancing back up at the roof, Kagome frowned when she saw that Ichimaru had disappeared.

'_Skulking bastard,_' thought Kagome sourly, her head starting to feel slightly dizzy.

"Higurashi-fukutaichou!" called Sentarou urgently, running over to her with Kiyone close behind; besides these two, everyone else seemed perplexed to see their second-in-command just sitting on the ground.

"Hiya, Sentarou-san!" said Kagome, smiling and waving at her subordinate.

"The Hollow! Did you dispatch it already?" asked Kiyone, skidding to a halt beside Kagome alongside Sentarou.

"Yep!" said Kagome, smiling giddily; her head felt so light…

Kiyone gasped when she saw the blood on Kagome's hands, face, and sash. Looking behind her superior, she saw with a huge amount of horror that the back of Kagome's shihakushou was shredded and soaked in blood.

"Higurashi-fukutaichou!" cried Kiyone, kneeling beside Kagome and touching the other's back gently. "You're injured!"

Not about to be shown up by his co-Seat, Sentarou kneeled down opposite of Kiyone and said, "Yes, you're injured!"

The two sent each other a glare.

With nothing to say to the oh-so-obvious statement, Kagome giggled hysterically. She suddenly found the whole situation that she was in to be immensely hilarious and burst out laughing. She began to feel so giddy that she felt she could laugh all day.

"Higurashi-fukutaichou…?" said Kiyone, looking scared. "Are you okay…?"

"Of course she's not okay, baka (idiot)!" snapped Sentarou. "The blood loss has gone to her head!"

The fact that Sentarou wasn't agreeing with or trying to best Kiyone set Kagome off big time. She laughed so loud and so hard that tears began to roll down her cheeks. Leaning forward to catch her breath after a minute or so, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a bout of dizziness and darkness began to creep into her vision.

"Oh no," said Kagome softly, snickering. "I'm going to faint…"

Then the darkness consumed her and she knew no more.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) I got the idea of a scythe from the Western image of the Grim Reaper: cloak, scythe, skeleton, etc.

(2) This was inspired, for some reason, by Riku from Kingdom Hearts, when he had to wear the blindfold to suppress his inner darkness.

-o-o-o-

Did you like my version of Kagome's zanpakutou? Please tell me you did! T.T

Until next time, ja ne! ^o^ – HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	13. Back to the Wall

Here is the third and last part of my Christmas gift to my readers! Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, and any lawyer that tries to sue me will get an AK-47 shoved up their backside. Nice Christmas spirit, eh? -_-;

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XIII: Back to the Wall**

-o-o-o-

_Laying down in pain  
__She contemplates whether to  
__Dress up like a doll_

-o-o-o-

It wasn't often that Kagome found herself in the Sogou Kyuugo Tsumesho (Coordinated Relief Station), which was the primary medical facility in all of the Seireitei. She usually went there when she was getting Ukitake's medicine, in the event that Ukitake was too debilitated to get it himself.

It was even rarer when Kagome found herself in the medical station with injuries. Today was one of those rare occasions.

After having been transported to the relief station by a reliable squad of shinigami – headed by Kiyone herself – Kagome had been taken directly to Kiyone's older sister, Kotetsu Isane; Unohana-taichou had already been busy with the wounded transported from the Thirteenth Division earlier that day. Since Kagome's condition was somewhat serious due to her blood loss, Isane had taken Kagome's case upon herself. Within minutes, the lieutenant of the Fourth Division had revived the lieutenant of the Thirteenth and begun giving her fluids before temporarily bandaging the deep gashes on her back.

Once she was certain that Kagome was out of shock, Isane had had Kagome slip her medical robe down to her waist – much to Kagome's embarrassment – and had her lay facedown on a cushy examining-table. The gashes were deep and still seeping blood; all five needed to be stitched up.

This was the position that Kagome was in now.

"Itee (slang for 'ouch')!"

Kagome inhaled sharply through her teeth, making a hissing sound. Her face twitched into a wince while her fingers gripped the edges of the cushioned examining table.

"Gomen nasai, Kagome-chan," said Isane apologetically, her brow furrowed in concentration as she pulled the needle and thread through the torn pieces of Kagome's flesh. "I'm trying to be careful, but you were the one that didn't want anesthesia."

Barely managing a tight smile on her face, Kagome winced again as the needle pierced her skin for what felt like the billionth time.

"I've been stitched up without anesthesia before," she said, her voice strained with pain. "I shouldn't be complaining. Besides, you healed my injuries up a little so that they wouldn't be quite so serious when you began stitching them."

"Un," agreed Isane, finishing another stitch. "You were cut right down to the bone in some places. You're lucky your spine wasn't severed."

"Damn Hollow. I was stupid to turn my back on it," growled Kagome, feeling ashamed of herself for making such a critical error.

"It's all in the past now, Kagome-chan," said Isane matter-of-factly. "You should be glad that you're alive; a Hollow that can turn itself invisible and can barely be heard is a serious opponent."

Kagome said nothing, gazing ahead from where her chin was resting on her folded arms.

After a moment, she asked, "How are the others doing?"

"Most are out of danger. Unohana-taichou is still working on one with extensive internal damage, but the patient slipped into a coma before the operation began," said Isane hesitantly, trying not to upset her current charge.

Kagome felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. The only subordinate that she had seen among the wounded with such grievous injuries had been…

"The patient's name…?" she asked hoarsely, her throat feeling tight.

Isane paused in what she was doing, appearing to think over whether to answer or not. Kagome waited with bated breath, her heart thumping painfully in her chest.

"Matsuoka," said Isane finally, giving in. "Matsuoka Eiko."

Kagome let out her breath, and realized that she hadn't noticed that she had been holding it.

"I see…" she said quietly.

She dug her chin into the crook of one of her folded arms, feeling guilty that she had not been able to prevent Eiko from charging in with guns blazing – except that in this case, the guns were empty; the recruit would have had almost zero chance of defeating the Hollow.

"It's not your fault, you know," commented Isane, sensing Kagome's thoughts.

"I know…" said Kagome, sighing. "Eiko-chan… If she– No, _when_ she recovers and comes out of her coma, I'll still have to punish her for insubordination. Personally, I think that what she's going through is enough to make her learn her lesson. Itee!"

"Gomen," said Isane, wincing along with Kagome as she pulled the sharp needle through broken flesh.

"It's tough sometimes," continued the Fourth Division's lieutenant after a moment, "being a fukutaichou. We have to make difficult decisions, ones that are below the jurisdictions of our taichou."

"Un…" said Kagome, taking a sharp intake of breath when she felt Isane tie her skin together.

She sighed and said, "Let's talk about something else. This is kinda depressing."

Isane let out a little giggle –a strange noise coming from the normally quiet woman – and said, "Okay. Let's see… Oh! Will you be attending the Nagareboshi Matsuri (Shooting Star Festival) next month?"

"Ehhh?" said Kagome in surprise. "It's that time of year already?"

Isane gave a small laugh and said, "Un! So, who do you want to take you to the festival this year?"

"Eh?" said Kagome, confusion spreading across her face. "What do you mean?"

"You know, as a date."

"What?" said Kagome, startling Isane and nearly snapping the sewing thread in half when the other woman's hand jerked upwards.

"Kagome-chan!" scolded Isane. "You almost ruined the stitching!"

"Sumimasen," muttered Kagome sullenly into her sleeve, her cheeks still a bright red from the word 'date'.

It was silent except for the sound of Isane's stitching together of ripped flesh.

"You're not going to take a date _again_?" sighed Isane after a moment.

"Iya!" said Kagome, sticking her nose up into the air as far as she could in her current position. "I'm a happy, single woman, thank you!"

Her mind betrayed her when the sudden memory of Ichimaru Gin kissing her flooded into her brain; she should have been angry at him for getting her and her subordinates into the medical station, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any anger at all. Cheeks aflame, Kagome quickly ducked her head so that Isane wouldn't see her and ask questions; the quiet woman wasn't a gossiping type, but she was sisters with Kiyone, who had trouble keeping her mouth shut.

'_Stupid, silver-headed, fox-faced bastard that doesn't know when to quit,_' thought Kagome passionately, squeezing her eyes shut to try and block out the memory.

"You could at least wear a yukata this time, instead of your usual shihakushou. I think that you would look _very_ pretty in one, Kagome-chan," spoke up Isane helpfully.

"I don't own a yukata, Isane-san," said Kagome wearily. "I have no need for one."

"Now you do," said Isane. "If you don't want to buy one, why don't you ask Hinamori-fukutaichou, or Rukia-sama? Kiyone-chan might even have one for you to borrow."

"I'll think about it, Isane-san."

There was a sensation of tugging on Kagome's back, the sound of a snip, and then a short, happy sigh from Isane.

"There! All done," said Isane, moving away to put away the tools for washing later.

'_Finally,_' thought Kagome with relief, glad that she wasn't the topic of interest anymore.

"Can I return to my barracks now, Isane-san?" she called from her position on the examining table, sounding like she would drop dead unless she left immediately.

There was a gasp, and then the sound of Isane quickly moving towards her patient on the table. Kagome briefly wondered what was the matter when an angry-looking Isane came into her view, and was bewildered at seeing such an expression on the docile woman's face.

Hands on her hips, Isane scowled and said, "Absolutely not! You lost a lot of blood! Your back was ripped to shreds! Do you think you can just walk out of here after receiving such a grievous injury?"

Kagome blinked dully and said, "Yes."

Isane exhaled with exasperation, her anger melting away.

"Gomen nasai, Kagome-chan, but it's protocol for someone with injuries like yours to stay overnight. I need to make sure that your stitches stay in properly and check for any infection that may have developed. I'll make sure that you get a private room, ne?" said Isane, hoping that she had convinced the stubborn lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division.

Isane smiled with amusement when Kagome merely buried her face into her arms and gave off a loud, frustrated but resigned moan.

"I'll go arrange for your rooms now. I will be back shortly," said Isane, trying not to laugh at how much Kagome wanted to avoid staying overnight at the relief station.

Her answer was a pitiful, muffled moan, which resembled the sound of a dying animal.

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then."

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Did you enjoy your Christmas present? Thank you for your support, my readers! :3

Until next time, ja ne! ^o^ – HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	14. Compassion

Kyaah! I'm so excited, 'cause tomorrow the NDS game I ordered (upon not getting it for Christmas -_-;) will be delivered! It's _Golden Sun: Dark Dawn_. Anyone else ever play the two Golden Sun GBA games (sucky battles, great plots)? Well, this is the sequel to those, after me waiting 7 years for a new game! Yay! Yay!

Just a random thing, but I got _Beauty and the Beast_ on DVD for Christmas (thanx, Mom! ^.^) and I kept expecting Sora, Roxas, or Xaldin from _Kingdom Hearts _to just waltz into the movie frame when I watched it yesterday. Has anyone (if you've played KH games) ever experienced that while watching Disney movies? ^.^;

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach. If I owned Bleach, however, Ichimaru, Ukitake, Byakuya, and Urahara would be MINE! MINE, I TELL YOU! ***cackles evilly***

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XIV: Compassion**

-o-o-o-

_He watches her sleep  
__And swears to protect her from  
__His leader's evil_

-o-o-o-

Slipping like a shadow into the hospital room, Ichimaru Gin made no noise as he slid the door closed behind him. He was feeling quite confident; sneaking past the shinigami in the relief station had been a breeze.

'_That was too easy,_' he thought with amusement. '_The fools here in the Fourth Division would be the first to go if _someone_ decided to turn against the Soul Society._'

He turned to the bed in the corner of the homelike hospital room, and his amusement receded when he saw the small figure sleeping on the bed. His sandals made no noise against the wooden floor as he approached the comfortable mattress, and in the moonlight streaming in through the window, the white haori he wore gave him the appearance of a wandering specter.

Gin's face was devoid of its usual smirk as he studied the small woman on the bed. Higurashi Kagome was sleeping on her chest, her back easily accessible by the healers here in the medical facility. Her torso was wrapped snugly with a layer of bandages, forced to sleep without a shirt; the rest of her body was shielded by a white sheet that she used for warmth. Underneath her pillow, her arms were folded to avoid discomfort.

Inching forward slowly, Gin's eyes were drawn to Kagome's face. Peaceful as an angel, her face was turned in his direction, her skin faintly reflecting the moonlight coming into the room. Her sapphire eyes were closed, and her lips were parted slightly as she slept. The only noise in the room was her deep, relaxed breathing.

Lips curling upwards slightly, a genuine smile graced Gin's face. He cautiously took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Kagome's dormant form; the sleeping woman didn't even stir when the mattress dipped under his weight. For a minute or so, Gin sat and watched Kagome sleep, feeling at peace.

Gin noticed that a stray lock of hair had fallen into Kagome's face and reached over to brush it away. He was in the midst of tucking the ebony strands behind the young woman's ear when Kagome shifted in her sleep.

Cautiously, Gin watched Kagome stir, the position of her legs shifting somewhat and her face rubbing against the pillow lying on top of her arms. A content smile spread across her face as she murmured something.

"Oden…" said Kagome happily in her sleep.

Gin felt his amusement return. He knew that Kagome's favorite dish was oden, a tidbit picked up while he was pursuing his hobby.

Being curious and sneaky by nature, Gin's favorite hobby was what he dubbed 'people-watching' (1). He loved to find out about particular people in the Gotei 13, their likes and dislikes, and especially their fears and desires. Because he was so good at remaining out of the reach of the senses of even the most astute shinigami captain, Gin found great enjoyment in following people around and eavesdropping on conversations.

But Gin loved to eavesdrop and follow Higurashi Kagome around most of all.

He had met her long before Aizen had told him of her true identity as the Miko no Shikon. It had been shortly after Kagome had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant, after having risen through the ranks in a matter of six months. Prior to that, she had been at the Academy for only a year; only prodigies, such as Hitsugaya-taichou and Gin himself, graduated that fast.

What had peaked Gin's interest was that at their first meeting – a chance encounter between the new lieutenant on a stroll with her captain – she had displayed no sign of fear or uneasiness at his presence. Gin had almost been unsettled by the calm, respectful expression on her face when she had greeted him.

Another thing that had interested him was that Kagome seemed totally unaware that she was a prodigy. It was almost common knowledge among the shinigami that when someone graduated from the Academy after so short of a time, there was something extraordinary about them. Perhaps it had something to do with only having lived in the Rukongai for a year before deciding to be trained as a shinigami.

Gin had instantly been hooked. He saw people as puzzles; every time he found out something new about them, another piece fit into place. And to him, Higurashi Kagome was the most complicated and extensive puzzle he had ever come across, especially since she was so secretive about her past; she was one of the few that had died and retained their memories after entering the Soul Society.

"Iya… I told you…not to eat…all of it…"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Gin focused his attention on his long-time obsession of several years. Kagome was still sleeping peacefully, though now she wore an adorable frown on her face.

'_How is she still asleep…?_' wondered Gin suddenly.

Every time he had attempted to watch Kagome as she slept back at her quarters, Kagome had awoken upon feeling his presence. Even when he hid his reiatsu, the girl had somehow known that she was being watched.

Turning his head, Gin spotted Kagome's zanpakutou, Rai'Rinne, lying on Kagome's other side. Neither the sword nor the girl had sensed him yet. Stranger still was that Kagome was sleeping as peacefully as an infant; Gin knew that she was prone to nightmares, some so violent that she jerked upright as she woke, covered in a cold sweat.

Reaching out again, Gin continued his previous action of brushing Kagome's bangs out of her face. This time she didn't respond, even when the male's slender fingers softly touched her ear as he tucked her hair behind it. That confirmed his suspicions; the healers here must have given her something to help her sleep.

She was totally vulnerable.

'_I could kill her right now if I wanted to,_' thought Gin, the sadistic part of his nature showing itself as he smirked.

Shaking his head, he obliterated such a thought. No, he didn't want to kill Kagome. She was interesting; she gave him something to look forward to. He loved teasing her, because her reactions were so amusing to his sharp mind.

'_Not today, she wasn't,_' thought Gin, bowing his head slightly.

He hadn't meant for her to get hurt. He had been confident that the Hollow would be easy for her to tackle. But Aizen had done something to it. The Hollow had had new abilities; it certainly hadn't been able to camouflage itself the last time Gin had peeked in on the older man's experiments. If Gin had known that the Hollow's strength and intelligence had doubled…

White-hot rage suddenly erupted within Gin's chest, and his blue eyes opened fully. They gleamed like lapis lazuli in the moonlight, burning with hate and anger.

Aizen had made a mistake; he had made himself an enemy of Ichimaru Gin. No one, _no one_, harmed what belonged to Third Division's captain! Now that Kagome had been almost fatally wounded, Gin found Aizen's cause to be almost pointless. _Almost._

'_Ya've got some nerve, Aizen-taichou,_' thought Gin darkly, a twisted smirk appearing on his face. '_Now what's to keep me from stabbin' ya in the back when things don't go the way they're supposed to?_'

Gin swore to himself that if something happened to Kagome on account of Aizen, he would slit the man's throat himself. The older captain should have known that invoking Gin's wrath was a very bad idea.

"I want oden…not ramen…" murmured Kagome in her sleep, clenching her fists unconsciously. "They're two different dishes…moron…"

Her lips parted again, and Gin's eyes – slitted once more – were drawn to them. How he wished to touch the petal-like softness of them again! He had stolen her first kiss, experienced the delicate texture of her pink lips; how he hungered for more!

Gin clasped his hands together to prevent himself from touching his sleeping obsession. He wanted all of her, to feel her bare skin moving against his, to hear her sighs of pleasure as their bodies moved together…

But he could wait; he would have to. He could wait until her hatred turned into love, with a little coaxing on his part, that is. Then nothing could stop him from taking what was his. When that time came, he would have her: body, heart, and soul.

'_Perhaps I _have_ gone soft,_' thought Gin with a small amount of amusement. '_Rangiku-chan never made me feel like this._'

The sudden sound of sandals clacking on a wooden floor alerted Gin to an approaching Fourth Division healer. Realizing his carelessness, he sent one last look at a sleeping Kagome before jerking open the window with a silent motion.

As silent as a flying owl, he slipped into the darkness of the Gotei 13 as if he had never been.

Soon, the only sign that he had been there was the soft breeze coming through the open window and the strands of ebony hair tucked behind Kagome's ear.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) A.k.a. 'stalking'. ^.^; This is a true fact; Gin's hobbies are 'people-watching' (along with causing mischief) and possibly needlework, since he has an 'incredible skill' at needle-threading.

-o-o-o-

Awww! It's so fluffy! It's so fluffy that I want to pet it! Did you like my chapter full of fluffiness? Maybe if you review, it'll purr! I can't guarantee it, though.

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	15. Rage of Lunacy

Here's chapter 15! ***cues **_**Star Wars**_** opening title theme***

Disclaimer: I asked Takahashi Rumiko and Kubo Tite for a teensy portion of their copyrights, but they turned me down… ***sigh*** T.T I think it's pretty obvious that I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, don't you?

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XV: Rage of Lunacy**

-o-o-o-

_He begins to close in  
__Looking for a way to trap  
__Her within his arms_

-o-o-o-

Kagome hated reprimanding her subordinates. She did it very well, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the shinigami that suffered her anger and disappointment. Such were her feelings at the moment, as she looked down at one Matsuoka Eiko, newly-awakened from her week-long coma.

"…You will have to be punished. You know that, don't you? Insubordination is _not_ tolerated within the Gotei 13. In my opinion, getting a giant hole driven into your stomach and then nearly dying is punishment enough, but I don't make the rules around here. You understand, Matsuoka-chan?" asked Kagome coldly, narrowing her eyes down at the younger woman.

Eiko, who had been staring down at her trembling hands, looked up into Kagome's face and flinched. Courageously, she met Kagome's eyes and nodded.

"Y-yes, ma'am," she said quietly.

Kagome nodded once at her subordinate and sighed, her face melting into a friendlier expression. Eiko visibly relaxed when she saw the change in Kagome's mood, sitting back against the pillows propped up behind her on her hospital bed.

"Your punishment will wait until you have recovered from your injuries, Matsuoka-chan. Until then, relax, eat properly, and get lots of sleep, ne?" said Kagome, smiling at the young recruit.

Eiko's face broke into a hesitant smile as she said, "You sound like my mother…"

Surprised, Kagome blinked before she was overcome by amusement. She laughed and turned towards the door of the brightly-lit hospital room.

"I'll make sure your punishment isn't too hard," she said, smiling at Eiko as she walked over to the sliding door and touched the hand slot.

Opening the door and stepping out, she poked her head back in and said, "After all, how bad can cleaning the barracks' toilets for a month be?"

Kagome briefly saw Eiko's shocked expression as she slid the door shut. A loud exclamation of disgust erupted from behind the door and Kagome laughed again, feeling absolutely terrible in a good way.

Smiling brightly, she turned and joined the small amount of traffic in the medical facility's long, wooden halls. Eiko would thank her one day, she knew, once the younger girl found out that her punishment could have been a lot worse; Kagome had spent the last couple of days trying to mellow down the girl's punishment and succeeded. 'Worse' included permanent dismissal from shinigami activities, a.k.a. _fired_. Compared to that, cleaning toilets was getting off with a slap on the wrist.

Fourth Division healers, heading to various destinations throughout the relief station, sent respectful yet confused looks when they encountered an overly-happy Kagome making her arduous way out of the building. Respectful because Kagome was one of the few shinigami that appreciated the 'menial' tasks that the Fourth Division was in charge of, and confused because Kagome just seemed so cheerful. Kagome smiled and waved at them, feeling that all was right with the world, _for once._ She failed to notice that several of the male healers were trying to catch her eye.

Passing an open door, Kagome froze in mid-step when she caught sight of a familiar blonde head. She blinked in surprise.

'_Was that…?_' she thought, turning to look back at the door with a perplexed expression.

Poking her head into the room, she saw that her eyes hadn't been deceiving her.

"Izuru-kun? What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, her voice laced with amusement as she stepped into the doorway.

Kira Izuru was sitting on an examining table, holding a bloodied bandage to his forehead. His bangs were brushed out of his blue eyes, which wasn't a common sight. A grimace graced his features, though it lessened somewhat when he caught sight of Kagome.

Assuming a hurt expression (he pulled off the 'kicked puppy' look quite well), Izuru said, "What? Can't a guy go get stitches anymore without being hounded?"

Smirking, Kagome took a step into the room and leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest.

"What did you do this time? Run into a wall?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"If by 'wall' you mean 'Hollow', then yes," said Izuru, wincing as he shifted his bandage. "I just bumped my head during a mission and got a nasty cut. They think I might have a concussion, too."

"I'm sorry," said Kagome sincerely, her smirk fading away.

"Ah, compared to your injuries, I'm okay," said Izuru, waving his free hand at her. "How many stitches did you get?"

Kagome grimaced briefly, hissing inwardly between her teeth.

"Too many," she said. "But I'm healing. See? I can lean against things now without a lot of pain."

"Ya certainly can," said a voice in Kagome's ear.

In her shock, Kagome spun around and stumbled backwards a couple of steps. Her face flushed with fury and embarrassment when she saw Ichimaru Gin standing right outside the doorway, his face showing that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. If it weren't for the presence of the room's other occupant, Kagome would have launched herself at him in an attempt to avenge what had happened to Eiko and her other subordinates, dead and alive.

"I-ichimaru-taichou!" gasped Izuru, straightening up as much as he could in his sitting position.

"G'mornin', Izuru-kun," said Ichimaru to his lieutenant. "I heard that ya got sent to the hospital, so I came to check up on ya."

"You really shouldn't have, Ichimaru-taichou," said Izuru with embarrassment. "I just need a few stitches and might have a concussion."

Ichimaru's face became concerned – Kagome was sure that he was faking it – as he said, "Oh, but a concussion might be serious, Izuru-kun."

Turning to Kagome, the silver-haired man said, "Speakin' of stitches, how many did ya get, _Kagome-chan?_"

Kagome's mouth dropped open in shock and horror, all hatred evaporating; he had just addressed her familiarly in front of his _lieutenant_! Izuru let out a grunt of surprise, obviously taken aback by Ichimaru's usage of the suffix '–chan'.

For a moment, Kagome worked her jaw up and down like a beached fish. She was at a loss for words. Why wasn't she surprised that Ichimaru had overstepped his boundaries, _again_?

After a moment, she managed to recover and said, faintly, "I don't know, Ichimaru-taichou. I didn't count them."

"Ya didn't?" said Ichimaru in surprise. "Tsk, tsk. What a shame."

Kagome set her jaw stubbornly and stepped up towards him.

"I appear to be taking up your time, Ichimaru-taichou. I'm sure that you have things that you wish to speak to Kira-fukutaichou about. If you'll excuse me?" she asked, making a move to slide by him.

She was startled when Ichimaru blocked her way out. Blinking, she tried again on the other side, but was met with the same result.

"Excuse me, Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome through gritted teeth, glaring up at him.

"Fer what?" asked Ichimaru, raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

Kagome's face reddened. Looking behind her at Izuru, she was dismayed to see that the blonde's expression was of bewildered interest; he obviously wanted to see what would happen between the two of them. Kagome suspected that if she and Ichimaru suddenly decided – hah! – to have sex on the floor, Izuru would continue to sit there and watch.

'_He's no help,_' thought Kagome with a sinking heart; she turned back to Ichimaru.

"I would like to get through the door, Ichimaru-taichou," said Kagome coldly. "If you would please move?"

Ichimaru's smirk widened as he said, "I don't think so, Kagome-chan."

Kagome started, raised an eyebrow, and said, with obvious irritation, "May I ask why?"

"I just don't feel like it," said Ichimaru. "Besides, with a sweet, li'l thing like ya in the room, who wouldn't want to leave?"

"I beg your pardon?" said Kagome, surprised.

She had thought that Ichimaru wouldn't try anything with Izuru in the room with them, but the man was obviously more unpredictable than she had first thought. The 'having sex on the floor' thing seemed more realistic than it had before. At the thought, Kagome's face turned scarlet with embarrassment.

"What's the matter, Kagome-chan?" asked Ichimaru slyly, reaching out towards her face with one of his spidery hands. "Ya look so red."

His fingertips had just barely brushed underneath her chin when Kagome felt that strange fire ignite beneath his touch. The feeling was the same as the time he had trapped her against the tree outside his office, and then merely a week ago, when he had kissed her… Responding to the memory, Kagome's cheeks seemed to become permanently pink and that familiar yet foreign ache appeared once more between her legs.

Ichimaru's smirk widened when he saw the kind of effect he was having on the young woman in front of him, while Izuru watched the encounter with a faint blush on his cheeks and wide, childlike eyes.

Seeing the smirk, Kagome shook herself out of her stupor. She found that she didn't welcome the strange feelings that Ichimaru was evoking within her. They were unknown to her, and had no idea how to respond to them. Afraid to lose control of herself – which was something that she dreaded slightly more than someone finding out the secrets of her past – Kagome violently jerked back from Ichimaru's touch.

"Don't touch me…!" she hissed, her blue eyes round with conflicting anger and fear.

The smugness disappeared from Ichimaru's expression, replaced by surprise. He seemed astonished that Kagome had rejected him once again. Izuru's eyebrows had shot high into the furthest reaches of his forehead; he too seemed surprised at Kagome's reaction to his captain. Kagome, meanwhile, had clenched her fists and was beginning to shake as her inner volcano growled like the meanest youkai alive.

Taking in Ichimaru's tall frame blocking the doorway, she said with restrained anger, "If you will not let me through…"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw bright light shining through the room's large window– A window!

With long, purposeful strides, Kagome reached the window before anyone could react. She saw that it was unlocked and jerked it open with a quick, upward thrust of her arm.

"…I'll just take another way out," Kagome finished, casting a dangerous look at the two men occupying the room.

She lithely threw her leg over the windowsill, straddled it as her foot found purchase on the ground below, and then hopped the rest of the way out. Her face was dark with fury as her sapphire eyes glinted dangerously at Ichimaru and Izuru – the Third Division's lieutenant had turned ashen and his expression clearly spoke that he wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

"_Good…day…!_" Kagome growled harshly, slamming the window back down savagely from the outside in her immense anger.

Izuru jumped at the loud sound, but he actually stood and backed away when tiny cracks made their way from the edge of the window frame into the pane of glass. Kagome had the satisfaction of hearing the cracks form as they formed spider web-like designs into the translucent but fragile material.

'_I'll pay Unohana-taichou for the window later,_' Kagome told herself.

Sending Ichimaru a look that could have poisoned, burned, frozen, and then struck him dead, Kagome turned away from the window and quickly walked away. She held her head high in order to retain what was left of her dignity, her feet crunching gravel under her sandals as she made her way through what appeared to be a courtyard.

'_Izuru,_' thought Kagome venomously, '_you spineless worm. Just you wait. I'll give you a concussion that you can _seriously _worry about._'

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Hopping out a window… I wish all of us could afford to do that. "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith (alias), but I can't stand this class anymore!" ***promptly goes over to classroom window, opens it, and jumps out*** "Haha! What do you think of that, Mr. Smith?" ***rest of class follows example*** Actually, there _isn't_ a window in the class I hate so much. There goes that idea… T.T

I know that Izuru seemed a little wimpy in this chapter, but in case you haven't noticed, he's pretty adamant about following his captain's orders and doing nothing to tick Ichimaru off, even if he knows it's immoral or just plain wrong. Sorry if I offended any Izuru-lovers! -_-

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	16. Shady Charade

Sorry that I haven't updated in a few days, but it's been kinda hectic lately, what with my high school finals coming up and me having to finish up a project for English.

Thank goodness! I was sick of analyzing and mutilating _Lord of the Flies._ The book's more enjoyable when you're not jotting down every piece of symbolism in every single paragraph.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, yadda yadda yadda.

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XVI: Shady Charade**

-o-o-o-

_Taunting and teasing  
__He passes her like a ghost  
__Not glancing at her_

-o-o-o-

'_Ugh…_' thought Kagome with mild discomfort, ignoring the urge to reach around and scratch her back.

She was currently walking down one of the medical center's halls, making her way patiently through the myriad of wooden corridors in order to find the exit. Isane had just removed Kagome's stiches, which was the reason why Kagome was wandering around the hallways like a child lost in a department store.

The scabs on Kagome's gashes had begun peeling, a sign that the stitches needed to be removed soon. Not wanting to endure the agony of having the thread tear through fully-healed flesh, Kagome had paid Isane a visit and asked the taller woman to remove the stitches. Unfortunately, even the healers in the Fourth Division couldn't remove the irritating sensation of itching that came along, apparently in a package deal, with healing wounds.

Stopping at a crossroad of two corridors, Kagome turned a complete circle and scratched her head with confusion.

"Ehhh…! All of these stupid halls look the same!" she said with frustration, putting her hands on her hips and sighing.

She picked a hall at random and set off down it with a quickening pace. Perhaps if Eiko had still been in the hospital – she had relocated to her quarters a day before – Kagome might have been able to find her way back to the entrance of the maze-like facility from her subordinate's hospital room.

'_This is like the labyrinth from that Greek legend,_' thought Kagome wryly as she approached what looked like an intersecting corridor. '_I hope I don't encounter a minotaur._'

She scowled when an image of Ichimaru Gin, his stupid fox-face smirking like a full toad, flashed through her mind.

'_I'd rather take the minotaur,_' she thought darkly. '_At least I'd be allowed to kill _it_._'

Taking a right down the intersecting corridor, Kagome's mood brightened considerably when she saw a familiar form busily mopping the wooden floor.

Smiling happily and approaching the figure, Kagome called, "Hanatarou-kun!"

The figure, a young, teenage boy named Yamada Hanatarou, jumped with surprise and looked up with wide, fearful eyes. He clutched his mop tightly out of habit, his face grey. But when he saw that it was Kagome that had hailed him, his posture relaxed and some of the color returned to his already-pale skin.

"A-ah, Higurashi-san," said Hanatarou meekly, "it's only you..."

His black hair, cut in a way that barely resembled a page-boy's, blocked his face as he looked away shyly, wondering what he should say to the Thirteenth Division's lieutenant. He didn't have to do much wondering, since Kagome had soon reached him and was throwing her arms around his thin shoulders.

"I'm so glad to see you, Hanatarou-kun!" cried Kagome, pressing her cheek against his and ignoring his cry of surprise. "I've been wandering around for ages!"

Face beet-red, Hanatarou managed to stammer, "Y-you got l-lost a-again, Higurashi-san?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Kagome, letting go of the boy and stepping back. "And what I have I told you? You can call me 'Kagome-san'; 'Higurashi-san' makes me sound old."

A small, hesitant smile appeared on Hanatarou's face as he pictured Kagome as an old woman. He could totally picture her as a granny that chased after annoying children with a cane.

"Sumimasen, Kagome-san. I keep forgetting," he apologized, dunking his mop in the bucket sitting next to the wall.

"What part of the building are we in, anyway?" asked Kagome, looking around and finding nothing that could distinguish it from the rest of the medical facility.

Hanatarou blinked and said, "We're probably as far away from the exit as you could get, Kagome-san. Hardly anyone comes down this way; this section is full of supply rooms."

"Typical," groaned Kagome, slumping against the wall with a sudden bout of fatigue. "I've always had a horrible sense of direction."

"If it makes you feel any better– Oh? I think I hear somebody coming," said Hanatarou, his face conveying his surprise as he looked down the hall past Kagome.

"I thought you said that nobody comes down here," said Kagome, frowning and turning to see where Hanatarou was looking.

"I did," said Hanatarou, his light, grey-blue eyes contemplative. "Must be someone on their way to stock up supplies."

The footsteps, which Hanatarou's sharp ears had heard, were clearly echoing throughout the deserted hallways now. They came closer and closer, approaching slowly; Kagome suddenly got the impression that the footsteps were as foreboding, for some reason, as the theme on 'Jaws' when the shark was about to attack.

Hanatarou ducked his head down and began to mop the floor thoroughly, concentrating his whole attention on it; he didn't want to be caught slacking off. Kagome, meanwhile, tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible as she pressed herself tightly against the wall. She waited with bated breath to see who would appear from the corridor that she had a few minutes previously; Hanatarou kept glancing up, eager as she was to see who the newcomer was.

Kagome's eyes got as round as saucers when a familiar, lanky figure dressed in a familiar, white coat turned into their hallway and began heading in their direction. It was very hard _not_ to recognize that head of silver hair.

'_Oh, shit!_'

Heart pounding, Kagome's hands began to sweat as she watched Ichimaru Gin casually make his way towards the hallway's only other occupants. She realized with surprise that she was leaning not against a wall, but a door, when her slippery fingers gripped a hand slot. Desperately, she tried to slide the door open so that she and Hanatarou could have a place to hide from the smirking captain coming their way.

The door wouldn't budge; _it was locked_. What the hell? How did someone lock a sliding shoji door?

Hanatarou appeared to have taken on a similar state of panic; his face had once again assumed the color of the sky on a snowy day, and his eyes were so large that they seemed to take up the entirety of his face. Like a dejected puppy, he scooted as close to the wall as he could, mopping the same spot over and over again as he and Kagome waited for Ichimaru Gin to pass them.

Feeling like a trapped rat, Kagome pretended to be inspecting underneath her nails for dirt. She dug imaginary uncleanliness from beneath each nail, her heart increasing its pace with each step that the bane of her existence took. Her heart beat so loud that she was sure that Ichimaru's predatory senses would be able to detect it.

Time slowed as he finally reached them. Kagome forced herself to look down, hoping against all rational reason that he wouldn't recognize her as she hid behind the black sheet of her hair. She watched him cautiously out of the corner of her eye, wondering what inappropriate stunt he was going to pull this time. All she was aware of was the loud beat of her heart in her ears, her steady breathing as she tried to remain calm, and each individual sound that Ichimaru's sandals made when they made contact with the floor.

_He didn't even look at her._

Ichimaru passed them like a wandering specter, appearing to take no notice of their existence.

Kagome watched Ichimaru's back move away from her, her face lifting up out of its hiding place with disbelief. There was no way that should have worked; Ichimaru took every chance he got to mess with her. Why did he choose to ignore her this time?

Perhaps it was the presence of Hanatarou; he wasn't from Ichimaru's division, and as a Seventh Seat, was liable to report any misdemeanors that he saw to Unohana. It was well-known, but not often seen, that the normally-passive captain of the Fourth Division had an infamous temper when angered. Perhaps Ichimaru was as scared of angering Unohana as the rest of the Gotei 13.

Hanatarou visibly relaxed as Ichimaru turned the corner down at the end of the hall, disappearing from his and Kagome's sight. It wasn't until the sound of Ichimaru's sandals faded that Kagome allowed her body to slump against and down the wall until her back connected with the floor.

Hands as white as paper, Hanatarou clenched the handle of his mop tightly so to not show that his hands were trembling violently.

"Is… Is he…gone…?" he asked in a whisper.

Dread prominent in the pit of her stomach, Kagome sat for a moment before standing shakily to her feet. Her sandals made very little sound as she hurriedly snuck over to the corner that Ichimaru had disappeared around. She more than half-expected the silver-haired creep to be standing there, waiting to snap her up.

Slowly, Kagome peeked around the corner and stared down at the long hallway stretching out before her. Ichimaru was nowhere to be seen.

"Nani…?" she said, blinking in confusion and stepping out to stand in full view of the hall.

"W-what is it?" inquired Hanatarou, hesitantly making his way toward her.

"He's gone!" said Kagome with disbelief. "He's disappeared!"

"Eh?" said Hanatarou, breaking into a little run until he was at her side. "B-but… It would have taken longer to reach the end of this hallway… He couldn't have made it there already!"

The two of them exchanged bewildered looks.

"What was he doing down here, anyway…?" murmured Hanatarou, almost to himself. "There's no reason for a taichou to be wandering around in the storage sector."

Kagome experienced a sudden chill. Why _had_ Ichimaru been down here? Suspicion began to grow in her mind.

"Hanatarou-kun, which is the easiest way to get to the exit…?" she asked hesitantly, pretty sure that she already knew the answer.

"That way, Kagome-san," said Hanatarou, pointing timidly down 'Ichimaru's' hall. "You just have to keep going left and you'll reach the exit in no time at all."

Kagome closed her eyes and nodded, her suspicions confirmed. She was pretty sure that Ichimaru was baiting her to follow him. He had probably tailed her throughout the medical station, waiting for the right moment to strike. How disturbing.

"Is there another way to the exit? Preferably the furthest from this hall as possible?" she asked the boy at her side.

"Hai, but there's a lot of complicated turns…" said Hanatarou doubtfully. "You'd have to write them all down to get to the exit."

"Write them?" exclaimed Kagome. "With _what_?"

There was a moment of silence, which included Hanatarou rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and Kagome pouting angrily. Then Kagome proceeded to bite her thumb hard enough to draw blood, much to the other's dismay and horror.

"W-what are you doing, Kagome-san?" cried Hanatarou; as a member of the Fourth Division, it bothered him to see a person willingly inflicting harm upon themselves.

Rolling up her left sleeve – she was right-handed – Kagome sent him a painfully-patient look and said, "Something to write with; blood for ink and my finger as a brush. Now, what are those complicated turns that you told me about?"

Still shaken by his encounter with Ichimaru, Hantarou managed to stammer out the directions to the exit. Kagome wrote the kanji for 'left' and 'right' over and over, licking her thumb occasionally so that the blood didn't clot in the cut.

Once Hanatarou had finished, Kagome gave a satisfied sigh and said, "There!"

She waved her arm around frantically to dry the blood and then turned to Hanatarou, who was so confused by Kagome's eagerness to stay as far away from Ichimaru as possible that question marks had popped up everywhere above his head.

"You're a lifesaver, Hana-kun!" cried Kagome, throwing her arms around Hanatarou once more and planting a firm kiss on his cheek.

"Ehhhhh?" cried Hanatarou, stumbling away from Kagome with a scarlet face and flailing arms.

He watched with bewilderment, while holding the spot where Kagome had kissed him, as Kagome dashed away from him back down the hall from the direction she had come. This time, she headed the opposite direction that she had previously taken (which had been toward Hanatarou).

"Ha ha ha!" said Kagome triumphantly, pointing high into the air as she came to the intersection at the end of the hall. "I win _this_ round!"

Hanatarou sweatdropped as Kagome went the wrong way.

"Ano (um)…" he called. "You're supposed to go the other way, Kagome-san!"

"Eh?" said Kagome, poking her head around the corner and looking back at the younger boy.

She checked the directions on her arm and said, "But you said to go 'right' here!"

"_After_ going left on that corner!"

Kagome blinked once and stared at Hanatarou for a moment.

"Victory is mine!" she proclaimed boisterously, heading the opposite way – the left – with her finger raised once more.

The sweatdrop on his head enlarging, Hanatarou thought, '_What victory?_'

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

Bwahahaha! Did you enjoy it? I'm so excited; the newest _Kingdom Hearts_ game comes out tomorrow on NDS! Kyaaa!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	17. Shadows Close In

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's still been kinda hectic at school lately; if you happen to see a mountain of books and paper just sitting somewhere, I'm probably buried underneath it.

I officially moved the rating up to 'M', just in case. ;D There is a short lime in this chapter, and also just in case, I noted where it began and ended. For those of you that do not derive any pleasure from imagining our favorite anime characters getting it on… -_-;

Disclaimer: If I owned InuYasha or Bleach, this chapter would definitely be in the ecchi and/or hentai section of a manga bookstore. But since I don't… ***sticks out tongue and runs off to sulk***

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XVII: Shadows Close In**

-o-o-o-

_He traps her once more  
__And tries to teach her pure body  
__Of pleasure and lust_

-o-o-o-

There was a bounce in Kagome's step as she made her long and complicated journey towards the relief station's exit. A cute smile graced her face, a smile so adorable that if anyone had passed her in the hall, they could have mistaken her as a fallen angel. While her exterior took on its so-called angelic form, on the inside she was a vengeful demon cackling with victory.

'_I win this time, Ichimaru! Hah!_' she thought, smirking inwardly. '_I didn't fall for your trap! What do you have to say to that? Hehehehe…_'

Kagome's mood was so gleeful that she wished she had a basket full of flower petals so that she could skip down the halls like flower girl at a wedding, tossing the petals left and right with great joy.

There was another corridor coming up. Rolling up her sleeve, Kagome inspected the dried, flaking directions inscribed there. What with the kanji having been written in her own blood, they were starting to become difficult to decipher. Scrutinizing them for a moment, Kagome nodded with confirmation. A right turn.

Licking her thumb, she scrubbed her arm until the kanji character was no more. Using this technique, Kagome ensured that she didn't mix up the directions that Hanatarou had given her.

She turned to the right, her sandals the only sound in the empty halls. So far, Kagome had passed only three or four medics on her adventure in the hallway since talking to Hanatarou. It was surprisingly empty at this end of the building.

Kagome frowned when she passed a door on her left, which was suspiciously and slightly ajar. Pausing mid-step, she stared at the thin, black line of darkness that was the interior of whatever lay beyond.

This didn't make sense. The Fourth Division, which was in charge of cleaning as well as healing, were tidy in about everything they did. It was highly unlikely that one of them had left the door open. So if one of them hadn't…then who had?

Swallowing, Kagome felt a sudden uneasiness. The open door, which showed none of what was within, made her curious about what was inside; that was what bothered her. She stretched out her senses, probing to see if there was anyone nearby. Even when her senses picked up nothing, the uneasiness lingered, doubling in strength. Yet the door continued to draw her to it, despite the blipping of her mysterious inner radar.

Hesitantly, Kagome reached for the knob of the surprisingly-modern door, her hand shaking. Her other hand instinctively reached for the hilt of her zanpakutou, but felt a stab of anguish when she realized that she had left Rai'Rinne back in her quarters like she was supposed to.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Kagome steadied herself. She willed herself to remain calm and, with a burst of courage, grabbed the door knob. Flinging it open, she expected someone to come popping out, a certain, silver-haired someone that continued to haunt her steps.

But it was empty. The interior behind the door was merely a semi-large storage closet, full of medical supplies and stacks of crates. The only thing in there, if the Fourth Division hadn't cleared them out already, would be a spider or two seeking refuge.

A flood of relief washed over Kagome when she realized that Ichimaru wasn't going to pop out of the closet, saying, "Gotcha!"

Her relief was short-lived, however, when a large hand quickly placed itself firmly over Kagome's mouth, muffling her cry of surprise. Eyes widened with fright, she struggled valiantly against her captor's grip as she was spirited away into the closet, the door closing behind them.

Blinded by the sudden darkness, Kagome flailed her limbs in an attempt to get free. Her captor seemed to take this in stride as he dragged her back into the depths of the large closet, bearing her misdirected punches and kicks with extraordinary patience – in fact, he didn't seem to feel them at all.

"Let me go, you bastard!" cried Kagome against her kidnapper's hand.

What they both heard was actually a series of 'mmmf!' sounds, but Kagome hoped that if anyone was passing the closet out in the hall, they'd hear her.

"None of that, now," said her captor dangerously close to her ear, so near that his breath tickled the skin there.

Kagome froze in mid-fight, her body assuming a rigid, awkward position against her captor's in shock. She had known instinctively who the one holding her against her will was, but to actually have her terrible suspicions confirmed was horrifying in this situation.

Ichimaru Gin. She was in the grip of Ichimaru Gin.

"Ya know," said Ichimaru casually as he sidestepped something in the gloom, "ya really shouldn't talk about what route yer gonna take so loud. Someone might hear ya."

Kagome closed her eyes, realizing that once again, Ichimaru Gin had been a step ahead of her and had set a trap to boot. He hadn't disappeared in that hall; he had snuck into one of the storage rooms and listened while she and Hanatarou had talked. Once more, she had played into his hands, by leading him right to her.

So, was this it, then? Was she going to be raped by the man she abhorred? Why else would Ichimaru drag her into this large but strangely cramped closet, but to have his way with her?

Tears of terror and anger sprang unbidden into Kagome's wide, frightened eyes, and her breath came loud and fast through her nose. She trembled slightly against Ichimaru's grip, whimpering against his hand softly.

She had had several close calls back in the Sengoku Jidai, each time when a man had taken it into his head to rape her. But none of those times seemed as terrifying as now; back then, she had been in hope of rescue. At present, she felt completely and utterly helpless, without any hope to sustain her. Kagome felt so defeated; she had no chance in winning against Ichimaru when it came to brute strength.

Ichimaru swung around so that they now both faced the door. The only light that filtered into the closet was from the crack beneath the door, and that was blurred in Kagome's view because of her tears.

Feeling wetness on his hands, Ichimaru asked, sounding truly concerned, "What's wrong, Kagome-chan? Why're ya cryin'?"

He slowly removed the hand over her mouth, allowing her to speak.

Kagome knew that she should scream for help, but she only managed to say, in a hoarse voice, "You're going to rape me, aren't you…?"

Kami, she sounded so weak! Kagome was sickened by her tone.

Ichimaru grunted in surprise, perhaps due to the weak sound of her voice. Before Kagome knew it, he was snaking an arm across her bosom and clasping her shoulder, while the other arm slinked across her lower abdomen, gripping her hip to hold his arm in place. Kagome was now pressed snugly up against Ichimaru, her body fitting perfectly against the contours of his.

Kagome felt him lean down and rest his chin against her shoulder, and she flinched away from the contact.

"My dear, sweet, li'l Kagome-chan," said Ichimaru, sounding amused. "I'm not gonna rape ya. What fun would that be?"

Swallowing thickly, Kagome said, "Then let me go."

She tensed her body up to show that she was going to put up a fight, or might try to make a run for it. Ichimaru chuckled, the vibrations from his throat traveling into Kagome's body via her shoulder.

"I think not," he said cheerfully. "And ya can give up tryin' to escape. There are no windows in here fer ya to jump through, and ya wouldn't even make it to the door."

"What do you want from me?" asked Kagome squeamishly, not giving up on escaping quite yet.

"I have a surprise fer ya," answered Ichimaru, sounding somewhat eager.

"W-what kind of surprise?" asked Kagome with dread, trying to ignore Ichimaru's fingers drumming teasingly against her hipbone.

"Well, ya seem like a pure li'l thing," said Ichimaru, rubbing his chin against her shoulder, "so I thought I'd give ya a teensy introduction to the concept of pleasure."

Kagome, panicked, resumed her struggling, though the movement of her arms was now restricted due to Ichimaru's tight grip.

Perhaps exasperated by the escape attempts made by his captive, Ichimaru tightened his hold on her until she could barely move. Wasting energy against his hold of steel, Kagome soon slouched forward limply, panting with exertion. As if she had said 'uncle', Ichimaru's constricting grip vanished.

(LIME)

"Why do you continue to fight, Kagome-chan?" whispered the silver-haired man into her ear, sounding like he was asking – rhetorically, of course – about the secrets of the universe. "Don't ya want to know what it feels like when a man treats ya like a woman, instead of a girl?"

Kagome shivered as Ichimaru's hands ran up and down her curves slowly and sensually. Even with one pass down her body, his deft fingers seemed to find previously-unknown sensitive spots on her sides. Kagome shivered again, each touch sending shocks of pleasure down her spine.

Lips nearly touching her ear, Ichimaru said, "Will ya let me treat ya like a woman, just a li'l bit…?"

"I don't want– A-ahh!" began Kagome, crying out when Ichimaru's fingers pressed a particularly-sensitive spot above her hip.

Taking her cry of pleasure as an answer, Ichimaru abruptly sat down on what appeared to be one of the crates in the storage closet – it was too hard to tell in the darkness. A still-struggling Kagome found herself sitting on his lap, and she tried to push herself away from the warmth of his body.

For a moment, Ichimaru's hold on her vanished. Kagome took the opportunity to try and scramble away from him, hearing the strange sound of what sounded like fabric tearing. Before she could jump off the edge of his knees, her captor had his hands upon her once more. He gripped her wrists together with one hand, his other wrapping what looked like a long, torn strip of bandages around them. Kagome tried to squirm away from him, but he had his elbows resting tightly in the crooks of her own, making movement almost impossible.

With whatever freedom of movement she had left, Kagome tried to make tying her up hard for Ichimaru, but he seemed to become incredibly patient when he had his mind set on something. She felt her heart sink when he tied the two trailing ends of the bandages together, and then once more to ensure that it stayed tied.

"Just a precaution," said Ichimaru slyly into her ear. "Do I have to gag ya?"

Well, there was the most subtle threat Kagome had ever heard: _Will you be quiet, or am I going to have to make sure you stay quiet?_

"Don't do this," said Kagome, feeling his breath tickling her ear. "Let me go– Ahh!"

Ichimaru was gently nibbling on her earlobe. His hands were now rubbing little circles on her hips in a soothing yet erotic manner.

"Just relax and enjoy this, Kagome-chan," Ichimaru whispered. "I promise I won't hurt ya."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, while his other hand was making a slow ascent up her side.

"Why are you doing this…?" said Kagome in a low whisper. "Why can't you leave me alone…?

She gasped when she felt the sensation of Ichimaru's wet, warm tongue licking just behind her earlobe. Being quite sensitive there, she felt a heated jolt travel down her spine and find a resting place between her legs, where it smoldered.

"Do I need a reason? Besides, what man can resist an attractive li'l thing such as yerself?" asked Ichimaru playfully, his hand teasingly plucking at the neck of her shihakushou.

'_Plenty,_' thought Kagome with irritation; it wasn't as if there were men lining up at her door every day, waiting to propose to her or to ask her out.

Her annoyance vanished when Ichimaru's hand suddenly plunged below her neck line, his arm snaking downwards. He had already passed the opening in her black kosode, and he was now using his fingers to try and wiggle his hand through the small opening at the top of her white shitagi (1), which Kagome usually kept snugly closed.

Outraged and frightened by this violation, Kagome tried to twist away from his touch, saying, "S-stop!"

Ichimaru merely chuckled at her pleas and began planting butterfly kisses slowly down her neck as he worked to get into her shitagi. Kagome unconsciously leaned into the touch of his lips, her breath quickening and a pink flush – though neither of them could see it – blooming into her cheeks.

"S-stop… she repeated, her eyes half-closing.

But she became alert once more when Ichimaru's hand finally entered the depths of her clothing, feeling his spidery fingers leave trails of fire as he caressed her collar bone. His hand went lower.

"D-don't…! Stop…!" said Kagome with anxiety, squirming in his grasp to try and prevent him from going any further.

"Don't stop?" asked Ichimaru mischievously, twisting her words around. "If ya say so, Kagome-chan. I'll happily oblige."

"I-iya! That's not what–!"

Kagome cried out with shock and pleasure when Ichimaru's hand reached out and captured the nearest of her covered breasts, holding it snugly in his warm palm.

"What's this?" said Ichimaru playfully, kneading the clothed flesh in his hands expertly. "A bra? My, my, what a modern woman ya are, Kagome-chan. But this won't do, I'm afraid…"

With no hesitation, he reached up and slid the strap of the bra off of Kagome's shoulder until it rested against her upper arm. Then his hand immediately returned to her breast, whereupon he eluded her loosened bra and cupped the mound of flesh it had covered.

"A-ahh!" cried Kagome, pleasure shooting down into her core.

She arched against Ichimaru's solid torso, her hips grinding down unconsciously against his. That was when she felt it. Perhaps because Kagome had been too distracted by Ichimaru's violations of her person, she hadn't noticed it before. But she certainly noticed it now. Ichimaru was…_aroused_.

Kagome flushed beet red in the darkness, feeling that hardness pressing insistently against her ass. She couldn't quite believe how large it seemed to be. But who was she to judge on size? After all, she had never had sex and had only seen…_that_ in photos in Health and on accident a couple of times back in the Sengoku Jidai.

"So responsive," murmured Ichimaru with pleasure, his mouth going lower yet on her neck.

He finally settled on the junction between her shoulder and neck, which turned out to be another place sensitive to his stimulus. Kagome gasped for what seemed the hundredth time when he nibbled there, and then began _sucking_ the tender flesh.

Kagome shivered with pleasure, unknowingly tilting her head away from him to given him more access to her neck. By now, her rational mind had begun to cloud over with desire, and all she felt in her lower abdomen was the burning flame of arousal. She wanted, no, _needed_ more physical contact.

Ichimaru granted her wish by kneading her breast, her nipple hardening in the middle of his palm. Everything he did – massaging the mound of flesh, teasingly tracing around her areola, and rolling her erect nipple between his experienced fingers – brought mewls or whimpers of pleasure from her lips.

Breath quickening with lust, Kagome responded to Ichimaru's ministrations by grinding herself against his hardened arousal. She was pleased on a primitive level when she heard him groan a couple of times. He in turn sucked on her neck with more vigor, nipping her skin gently with his teeth. Every touch he made was an aphrodisiac, making her want more.

"Mine," growled Ichimaru between nips.

He thrusted his arousal upwards with amazing precision, hitting Kagome in the junction between her legs. The pleasure that Kagome experienced was so much greater than before that she gave a loud cry.

"Mine," said Ichimaru again, rubbing his erection against her center.

Kagome found that she didn't mind being 'his' at the moment; she was too focused on the pleasure that he was giving to her.

There was a coiling sensation beginning in Kagome's lower abdomen, like a spring being wound tight. It wound tighter and tighter…

Suddenly, shadows appeared at the line of light under the door. Ichimaru and Kagome froze, though the male continued to suck on the junction of her neck and shoulder. Both watched with growing anxiety as the shadows shifted and the sound of voices came through the wood of the door.

(LIME END)

The door rattled, making Kagome jump; Ichimaru must have locked it, which was an amazing feat, considering that at the time, he had had his hands full of a struggling Kagome. The jolt of adrenaline allowed her head to begin to clear, and she began coming out of her lust-induced haze.

Doorknob twisting this way and that, the voices spoke, sounding confused. Kagome watched in dread, waiting for a key to be produced or the door to be burst down. She could imagine it now, everyone talking about how healers in the Fourth Division had caught her, flushed and breathless, on Ichimaru's lap with _his_ hand down her uniform.

The sound of voices came again, frustrated and confused, and then the shadows moved away from the bottom of the door. Kagome nearly breathed a sigh of relief; there would be no scandal. Not yet, at least.

For what seemed an eternity, the duo waited for the shadows of feet and the voices of the healers to come back. In that eternity, Kagome had come to her senses enough to realize what she had just participated in.

'_Oh kami… What have I done?_' she thought with horror. '_I was rubbing myself against him like a bitch in heat! What the hell is the matter with me? I let him win!_'

Seeing that Ichimaru was still preoccupied with her neck, Kagome focused on getting away from him. First, she would have to free her hands. Testing the tightness of the bandages wrapped around her wrists, Kagome found – to her delight – that they weren't tied on too snug, enabling some movement between them. Carefully and imperceptibly, she began working at loosening them.

When she had finally slipped a hand free, Ichimaru's lips on her neck vanished. His tickling breath reappeared onto the skin of her ear, and Kagome shivered when she felt how quickened it was.

"We should probably take this somewhere more private, ne?" said Ichimaru quietly, touching her ear lightly with his lips.

'_Your privates are going somewhere, that's for damn sure,_' thought Kagome with anger, feeling disgusted and humiliated with herself.

But she played along, mewling an answer in a breathy voice, and Ichimaru reluctantly removed his hand from the confines of her shirt. He set her on her feet, his hands lingering on her hips, and Kagome found that her legs had trouble keeping her up. She also found, to her embarrassment and disgust, that she was still aroused by what had just taken place in the closet. _A closet_, for the kami's sake!

Kagome wondered if Ichimaru made it a habit of dragging off innocent young women into nearby closets and then practically molesting them.

Kami, if they hadn't been interrupted, she probably would have lost her virginity against the wall! The very thought made her blush; what an unvirgin-like thing to think.

With a hand on the small of her back, Ichimaru guided Kagome to the door of the closet; after all, he still believed her to have her hands bound. Flicking the lock, Ichimaru enabled the door to open.

Kagome found herself being pushed out into the hall, and she squinted her eyes at the sudden light. But she forced herself to adjust to it rather quickly, and kept her back turned to Ichimaru, who was closing the closet door; she wanted the element of surprise.

"Now, do ya want me to–" began Ichimaru, but he didn't have any time to say anything else before Kagome swung around and slapped him with all of her might – might that was powered by severe anger and humiliation.

Ichimaru's eyes flew wide open in his shock. He appeared to have been struck dumb as well, because his mouth hung open slightly. The only thing he _could_ do was hold a hand gingerly up to the stinging, red handprint on his cheek. His eyes remained open wide, a testament to his surprise.

Kagome, however, was too angry to admire the clear aquamarine color of his eyes; she was too pissed off.

"Did you _enjoy_ making me your whore, Ichimaru?" hissed Kagome venomously. "How dare you! How dare you take advantage of me!"

Ichimaru said nothing. His eyes had narrowed into slits again, though his face conveyed confusion and surprise (2).

"If you even _think_ about pulling a stunt like this on me again," threatened Kagome, pointing at him, "I will _castrate _you _myself_!"

Whether that had any effect on Ichimaru or not, Kagome didn't see, because she promptly spun on her heel and stormed off down the hallway regardless of what direction she was taking. For all she knew, she was dooming herself to wandering endlessly through the halls once more.

But she didn't care. All she wanted now was to get as far away from Ichimaru Gin as possible, as well as that closet where her humiliating experience had just taken place.

Kagome began to make herself look as presentable as possible, hastily running her fingers through her hair, pulling up her bra strap _and_ the sleeve of the uniform, smoothing everything out.

She was already long gone when a fond smirk stretched across the Third Division captain's face.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) The shitagi is the white, yukata-looking thing that the shinigami wear under the black portions of their uniforms. It's a type of underwear. I believe that this is what Kuchiki Rukia was wearing during the time of her imprisonment; she was literally walking around in her underwear! LOL :D

(2) I do so love Gin's expressions of surprise, like when Matsumoto has her zanpakutou at his throat shortly before he goes to Hueco Mundo with Aizen, or in the omake when Bawabawa tries to eat him. He's just too cute when he's like that!

-o-o-o-

Hmm… I appear to be on fire… ***looks at flames on clothes*** Excuse me while I go put myself out. ***walks off*** … … … ***reappears*** Ahh! That's better! My hands caught on fire while I was writing the lime in this chapter and spread onto my clothes, I'm afraid.

For those of you that actually read my lime (I bet all of you did -_-;), please tell me what you thought of it. It's my first official lime, so some feedback would be informative and would help me write better ones if this one is not up to par.

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	18. Phenomena

Here's number 18! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or Bleach, so that lawyer over there (a horrid leech), should sod the hell off and go be a peach. ^.^

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XVIII: Phenomena**

-o-o-o-

_She contemplates his  
__Bruise of lust and puts away  
__His chain of white cloth_

-o-o-o-

Kagome stood in front of her dresser, staring into her mirror with a mixture of shock and disbelief. For there, plain as day on her neck, was…

'_A hickey,_' thought Kagome in a dead-panned sort of way.

Yes, it was a hickey. Having felt a bruised sensation from the junction of her neck and shoulder, where – Kagome went red with anger and embarrassment at the memory – Ichimaru had sucked on her skin so eagerly that day, she had pulled down her uniform a little to see what was causing the feeling. Kagome recognized what it was immediately, though she herself had never had one before. But back in the living world and here in the Soul Society, she had seen hickeys on the necks of several of her female friends, which they usually proudly displayed and giggled over slyly.

Prodding the oval-shaped purplish bit of skin gently, Kagome winced out of habit when she felt the slight ache there.

The realization sunk in, and Kagome's eyes widened comically in the mirror.

'_A hickey?_' she thought with panic and quite a bit of anger.

Kagome knew that some men gave their girlfriends or lovers hickeys as a mark of possession, to show that the before-mentioned women belonged to them and no one else. She became pissed because, one, Kagome considered herself _no one's_ possession, and two, Ichimaru had had the audacity to say and show otherwise during their little encounter that afternoon.

"_That…infuriating…fox-face!_" Kagome managed to grit out at her reflection, her eyes gleaming with fury. "_How…dare…he!_"

She rubbed at the hickey, hoping that perhaps that she was mistaken, that it was just a huge amount of dirt that had magically appeared on her neck. But all she accomplished was making the damned thing hurt more and perhaps more vivid from her ministrations.

Kagome huffed like an angry bull, steam practically shooting out of her nose and ears from her ire. She crossed her arms grumpily and tilted her neck to see if the hickey was easily visible to any eyes that happened to be looking there.

Finding that it really wasn't unless she turned a certain angle, Kagome thought sourly, '_At least he had the common decency to put it somewhere that it wouldn't be easily seen._'

It was somewhat odd that Ichimaru had chosen that particular spot on her neck to place his hickey. Kagome had seen hickeys higher up on the necks of her friends, and some even allowed a glimpse of hickeys placed on the tops of their breasts with a grin and a wink.

Kagome felt a sudden chill when she remembered a certain bit of information about youkai that she had learned while she was traveling in the Sengoku Jidai. The males marked their mates in the exact same place that Ichimaru had oh-so-lovingly placed his hated hickey. A coincidence, but a disturbing one nevertheless (1).

Brushing her hair out of her face, Kagome snorted and mentally shook herself. It was just impossible for a _captain_ to be interested in _her_. Captains, as the elite of the Gotei 13, could have practically any woman (or man, if they swung that way) that they wanted. Kagome could name several women off the top of her head that would be more suitable for Ichimaru, for _any_ captain, really. So _why_ had he chosen her?

'_Probably to get me to join his anti-Soul Society club or something,_' thought Kagome wryly, smiling grimly at herself in the mirror.

She frowned when something caught her eye in her reflection. Around the wrist of her hand was a strip of white cloth…

Grunting with surprise, Kagome lifted her hand up and saw that the strip of bandages that Ichimaru had used to tie her wrists together was _still_ there. How could she have forgotten to take it off? Perhaps because she had been so angry at the hated man.

With a sudden burst of anger, Kagome jerked the damned thing off and made to throw it in the waste bin next to her dresser.

But she found that she couldn't do it. Her hand wouldn't obey; her fingers simply wouldn't open.

Kagome tried again and got the same result. It was as if her unconscious didn't want her to get rid of the memento from that afternoon. She looked down at the strip of cloth and stroked it with her thumb, feeling the familiar texture of it against her skin.

As she gazed with puzzlement down at the bandage strip, she was hit all at once with an intense memory of what had happened with Ichimaru that afternoon. Except she remembered things that, at the time, she had been too angry or too focused on getting away to notice them.

A clean, masculine smell hit Kagome's nose, one that smelled of persimmon fruit, writing ink, and some sort of musky spice that tantalized her olfactory senses. The sensation of Ichimaru's hands on her; for the first time, Kagome realized how gentle he had been with her, as if he had truly not wanted to hurt her.

The sensations and smells were so much that Kagome forced herself to snap out of her reverie. Ichimaru's scent lingered in her mind for a moment, making Kagome look around her room nervously to make sure that he wasn't in there with her.

He wasn't, of course, but that didn't stop the hair from rising on the back of Kagome's neck.

Clenching the strip of cloth tightly in her hand, she looked down at it with anger. She silently willed it to spontaneously combust, but when it didn't, she glared at it with displeasure.

For some reason she didn't understand, she couldn't will herself to get rid of it.

"I must be going insane," Kagome muttered as she jerked open one of the top drawers of her dresser and stuffed the white strip of bandage as far back as she could into its depths.

She made to go to the bed when she realized which drawer she had put the strip of white cloth in.

Eyes widening with horror, Kagome nearly tripped over herself in her haste to get back to the drawer and open it. Once she had, she pushed her hand past her neatly-folded panties (nothing fancy, just simple white ones) and her bras (again, nothing fancy) in order to snatch the offending strip of cloth away from her underclothes.

As if the white bandages were on fire, Kagome jerked open her other top drawer and stuffed it haphazardly amongst the white tabi (traditional socks) that were required for every shinigami's uniform.

Kagome wasn't very superstitious, but she would _not_ have that strip of cloth, which had had been around her wrists when she had been acting…_needy_, laying in the same drawer as her bras and panties. Ever since her little game with Ichimaru had begun, Kagome wasn't sure that there wasn't something supernatural about the man, and that was saying something while living in the land of the afterlife. If Ichimaru could 'enchant' that strip of cloth to make her to become aroused again, Kagome wouldn't be surprised in the least.

Slamming the tabi drawer shut loudly, Kagome stomped over to her bed and jerked off her kosode. Grumpily, she put out the light in the paper lantern on her bedside table and flopped over onto her side. She huffed and buried her face into her pillow while her mind continued to focus on Ichimaru – the man never seemed to get out of her head these days, even in her dreams.

"Ichimaru and his stupid Jedi mind tricks," growled Kagome into her pillow.

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) It IS a coincidence. No need to read into it too deeply.

-o-o-o-

There you have it! Kagome's not a very happy camper, now is she? Hehehehe… As always, thank you for your continual support!

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	19. Dodo Dance

I am _so_ sick of the snow and the cold weather! It was negative five degrees Fahrenheit during the day yesterday! DURING THE DAY! Everyone had on at least three layers at school and it was STILL cold. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, since I heard that it was negative eighteen degrees in another part of the state yesterday too.

Anyway, here's the new chapter.

Disclaimer: Blegh, if I actually owned InuYasha or Bleach, do you really believe that I'd be an author on this site? Take that, lawyers!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XVIV: Dodo Dance**

-o-o-o-

_Trying in vain to  
Hide his mark of possession  
But she only fails_

-o-o-o-

'_Why am I here again?_' thought Kagome, her eyes half-lidded with boredom.

She was currently sitting painfully erect next to the usual table in the izakaya, her fists clenched tightly in her lap. Behind her, a couple of Eleventh Division members were having a fist-fight while their peers cheered them on. Kagome's table was no better. While there was no fist-fighting, the others had had about as much saké as the two fighting shinigami and were as loud as a flock of parakeets. In fact, the whole izakaya was so noisy that Kagome wondered if she wasn't actually in an aviary full of tropical parrots.

Her friends' cheeks held a rosy bloom, and even the normally-sullen Iba was guffawing loudly with Ikkaku and Renji. Yumichika was trying to remain dignified, although a goofy grin was spread across his face, and Rangiku was being her usual, flirtatious self. Izuru was nowhere to be seen; ever since Kagome had gotten mad at him for not defending her against Ichimaru, he had been avoiding her. Good thing too, because if Kagome had seen him here tonight, she would have chased him down and then beat the shit out of him.

Kagome briefly wondered why in the world the bartender had even let such disorder come about in his izakaya, and gaped when she spotted him – a large, beefy man – with his arms around the shoulders of two other shinigami, singing a tavern song with them drunkenly.

Having learned long ago to tune out such loud, raucous noises, Kagome patiently bore the noise that was beating painfully against her eardrums.

A fighting knife came out of nowhere and embedded itself in the table near Kagome, who blinked down at it calmly.

'_Am I the only sober person here?_' she thought, leaning against her propped up hand and examining the scene in front of her with boredom.

Remembering why she hadn't wanted to come in the first place, Kagome tugged the collar of her uniform higher up her neck, hiding the damned hickey that had been placed there the previous day. It was only because Rangiku had literally dragged Kagome down to the izakaya that she was even here in the first place.

Unlike some girls, Kagome had chosen not to wear a scarf or anything out of place for her to conceal the hickey. Wearing a scarf would only raise embarrassing questions, ones that Kagome intended to avoid until the hickey faded. All she could do now was endure the noise of the izakaya and hope that nothing happened to where the 'love bite' was exposed.

'_Maybe I should just leave,_' thought Kagome, watching Ikkaku and Renji approach the same angry state as the two brawling shinigami. '_I doubt anyone would notice_.'

A male shinigami, stripped entirely of all clothing except his white fundoshi (loincloth), raced past her, laughing hysterically. Kagome averted her eyes, using her hand to shield them while her face took on a red hue.

'_I definitely should go,_' she thought desperately, having no desire to see more men devoid of their clothes.

Just as Kagome was about to get up and make her exit quietly, Rangiku, who was sprawled halfway across the table, suddenly grabbed Kagome's hand.

"Neeee, neeee, Kagome-chaaan," drawled the strawberry-blonde, flipping over onto her back and looking up at an upside-down Kagome, "why don't you get yourself some sakeeeeé? You look _sooo_ tense…"

If Kagome and Rangiku had been strangers, Kagome would have been positive that the older woman was coming onto her. But since Kagome knew Rangiku and her personality, she sent the strawberry-blonde a small, polite smile and tried to pry her hand out of the drunken lieutenant's surprisingly-strong grip.

"No thanks, Rangiku-san," said Kagome apologetically. "I'm actually thinking about leaving, anyway."

"Ehhh? Why?" asked Rangiku, flipping back over and looking at Kagome with surprised, albeit drunken, eyes.

She let go of Kagome's hand and its grateful owner flexed it to get the blood flowing through it again.

"It's just that," said Kagome, ducking, to her mild astonishment, a fluttering, squawking onagadori rooster (1), "I still have some paperwork to do–"

"Bah!" said Rangiku, pounding her fist on the table.

Kagome jumped at her friend's sudden display of violence.

"Why do you _always_ do this to yourself, Kagome-chan?" asked Rangiku, her clear, blue eyes narrowed at Kagome with surprising seriousness.

"Do what?" asked Kagome, blinking with puzzlement.

She shifted nervously and pulled her collar up higher over her hickey, seeing Yumichika glance over at her and Rangiku with curiosity.

"You know…_that_!" said Rangiku, gesticulating wildly at Kagome and nearly whacking Renji – who sat next to her – in the head. "You're always sitting there, watching us get drunk! Why can't you ever let yourself relax and have some fun? Not everything's about duty, you know!"

Kagome raised an eyebrow at Rangiku, watching the busty woman splutter passionately in her drunken stupor.

'_Well,_' thought Kagome dryly, '_the wonders of alcohol and its effects on people never cease to amaze me._'

"A cute thing like you should have a boyfriend or two!" ranted Rangiku, shaking her finger across the table at Kagome. "Why do you waste all your time doing paperwork when you could be out partying?"

'_This,_' thought Kagome with mild amusement, '_coming from the woman who _never_ does her paperwork?_'

She was unable to keep herself from smiling, and the smile spread even wider when Rangiku retaliated against the expression.

"Don't you smile at me!" said Rangiku, pounding her fist on the table again and attracting the attention of the others. "I'm being serious!"

"What's got your panties in a wad, Matsumoto?" asked Ikkaku – who sat next to Kagome – with irritation.

"Yeah, we were talking here!" protested Renji, glaring at the strawberry blonde.

'_Arguing and about to get into a brawl like those two idiots over there, you mean,_' thought Kagome, sweatdropping as she watched the two Eleventh Division shinigami – who were still going at it – out of the corner of her eye.

"Kagome-chan," said Rangiku dramatically, "was planning to leave. To go do paperwork!"

Kagome's sweatdrop doubled in size when she was bombarded with "Whaaat?" and "Are you crazy?" and "You're such a workaholic!"

'_Thank you _so _much, Rangiku-san,_' thought Kagome sarcastically.

She was about to retort to their comments angrily when the two Eleventh Division members suddenly brought their fight to her group's table. A fist narrowly missed clipping her in the head, though her eyes narrowed with irritation when a lock of her hair detached itself from her head in a mysterious manner and floated down to the floor.

The two shinigami rolled around on the surface as one of them pushed the other onto the tabletop and began punching him in the gut. An angry yell came from Ikkaku when he had to pick up his cup.

"Bastard! You knocked over my saké!" roared Renji, his tattoos practically rippling as his forehead wrinkled in his rage.

"So uncivilized…" muttered Yumichika, his eyes closing as he tried to control his irritation.

Rangiku cheered the two men on, while Iba watched dumbly. Kagome's anger at the two males' stupidity, however, had reached the boiling point. Her eyebrow twitched as she tried to reign in her temper.

When she was nearly clipped again, she snapped.

"_That's it_!" she roared, slamming her palms against the table and pushing herself to her feet.

Jerking the abandoned knife out of the wood of the table, she stabbed it downwards at the two men.

"Hora! Quiet down, you punks!" she yelled.

With dangerous accuracy, she sheared off one of the sideburns of the top man and pinned the second man's uniform to the table by the cloth of his armpit. Both men froze, staring at the knife with disbelief.

"M-my knife…" said the man being held down against the tabletop, his unfocused pupils staring at the knife with recognition.

The top man sprang up, holding the side of his face and his watering eyes staring accusingly at Kagome.

"My sideburn!" he cried with indignation, his lips scrunched up in a pout. "It took me weeks to get them both just right!"

His annoyance drained from his face when Kagome jerked the knife back out of the table again, sending him a killer glare out of the corner of her eye.

"B-but I can wait a few w-weeks m-more!" he stammered, running away when he saw Kagome lift the knife towards him in a foreboding manner.

The remaining Eleventh Division member stood up unsteadily onto his feet and sighed.

"Thanks, nee-chan!" said the man, obviously not aware in his drunkenness that he was speaking to a lieutenant.

Then his unfocused eyes settled on Kagome's form and he blinked, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Say, nee-chan," he said, a perverted grin spreading across his face, "you're pretty cute. What do ya say that I–"

"Iya!" said Kagome, a tick mark appearing on her forehead as she punched the man in the face with all her might.

Several people in the izakaya watched in awe as the Eleventh Division member flew through the air and landed behind the bar with a crash of broken wood and glass, successfully hiding him from sight. Everyone at Kagome's table had bugging eyes, and Iba's could be seen from behind his sunglasses as he tilted his head down to see if what he was seeing wasn't just his imagination.

"And take your knife with you!" said Kagome, throwing the knife at the bar counter, where it promptly embedded itself into the side.

She turned and sat back down at the table, huffing with irritation.

"You were saying?" she asked Rangiku, quirking an eyebrow.

Rangiku merely stared at Kagome in her drunken stupor. The others at the table shook their heads and tried to get back to their normal routine as quietly as possible, while the rest of the izakaya once again buzzed loudly with talking and laughter. The bartender, who hadn't noticed the newcomer behind his usual occupational spot, continued to sing lewd songs with his newfound buddies.

"What was I saying again…?" slurred Rangiku, shaking her head to try and clear the fogginess in her mind.

"Something about me being stupid because I wanted to go do paperwork?" suggesting Kagome wryly.

"Right!" said Rangiku, smacking a fist into the palm of her hand.

She proceeded to shake her finger again and said, "You should–!"

Suddenly, she stopped and peered forward, her eyes squinting as she examined Kagome. It might have had something to do with her double vision, a courtesy of the amount of rice wine she had consumed.

"What's…? What's that on your neck?" Rangiku asked rather loudly, pointing rudely at a certain spot near Kagome's shoulder.

The blood drained from Kagome's neck when she glanced down and saw that her hickey was on full display, visible for all eyes to see. Then the blood came back in full force, turning her face a violent red.

"Ehh-!" she said, tugging her collar up quickly to hide the damned bruise. "N-nothing!"

Rangiku narrowed her eyes further and leaned forward, supporting her hands on the table. Kagome almost wished she was wearing sunglasses like Iba so that she couldn't see the black hole that was Rangiku's large bosom (2); perhaps she would stop by the Gin Tonbo (3) later.

"Didn't look like 'nothing' to me," said Rangiku, her blue eyes sparkling with sly curiosity; in the event of potential juicy gossip, it appeared that alcohol had no effect on Rangiku's nosy cunningness.

"Well, it was," Kagome huffed, crossing her arms haughtily across her chest and tried to play it cool.

"If it's nothing, then maybe you wouldn't mind showing the rest of us," said Rangiku, up on all fours on the tabletop now.

The large-breasted lieutenant now had all of the occupants at the table fully interested in what had caught _her_ interest. They were all watching the unusual encounter between the two female lieutenants with eager eyes.

Kagome, meanwhile, said nothing, pressing her lips tightly together.

"I'm waiting~!" said Rangiku in a singsong voice full of warning, a predatory smile curling her full lips.

Turning her head away proudly, Kagome said, "I don't have to show you anything."

The mouths of everyone watching fell open when Rangiku pounced upon Kagome, straddling the smaller woman in order to pin her down, while Kagome let out a little shriek of surprise. Their mouths continued to hang open as the two fought over the collar of Kagome's uniform, the owner desperately trying to keep it in place while the invader tried just as hard to reveal what lay beneath it.

"Get off, Rangiku-san!" yelled Kagome, rolling around on the floor in an attempt to dislodge the larger (4) woman.

"Not until you show me what you're hiding!" said Rangiku, grinning like a fox.

"This is hot," Kagome heard someone say, but she wasn't sure who because she was trying to keep her hickey covered.

Suddenly, Rangiku pinched Kagome on her side quite hard, resulting in a protest of pain from Kagome. That was all Rangiku needed to get a proper hold on Kagome's collar and tug it down to see what lay beneath.

For a moment, Rangiku just stared with a mixture of bewilderment and shock at the donut-shaped bruise on Kagome's neck. Recognition clearly shone in her crystalline eyes.

'_I'm doomed,_' thought Kagome, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for Rangiku to speak.

"Oh ho ho ho!" laughed the strawberry-blonde conspiratorially behind a hand. "Looks like I was wrong! Little Kagome-chan _has_ been having some fun!"

"Get off me, Rangiku-san," muttered Kagome, her cheeks permanently red in her embarrassment; she refused to look Rangiku in the eye and stared off to the side instead.

"Hai, hai!" said Rangiku with a smirk in her voice, taking a seat on the table.

Before Kagome could cover the hickey, Ikkaku was already peering down at her.

"What are you getting so–" he grumbled with curiosity, and then his eyes landed on the bruise Kagome bore.

He grunted with surprise and then broke out into hysterical laughter.

"T-that's…! Hahahahahahaha! That's a…! Hahahahahahahahaha!" cried Ikkaku, tears fountaining from the corners of his eyes.

In response to Ikkaku's sudden attack of laughter, the others practically climbed over the table to see what had gotten him so riled up. Kagome heard the onagadori rooster, who had flown over her head earlier, get worked up again as the others rushed to her side to see Ikkaku's source of amusement. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the chicken stop mere feet away and start preening itself frantically.

"S-stay back!" Kagome said with wide eyes at her male friends currently hovering over her, holding out a hand to ward them off. "And shut up, Ikkaku!"

Ikkaku merely continued to laugh, paying her no heed.

Kagome held her collar tightly over her hickey, resulting in disappointment in the others that had not seen it.

"What was it? What was it?" demanded Renji, shaking Rangiku this way and that to get the answer out of her.

After giving Renji a sound thump on the head, Rangiku said, smiling triumphantly down at Kagome, "It appears that Kagome-chan has confessed her feelings to her mystery man!"

"It's not like that–!" began Kagome in angry protest.

"She has…" continued Rangiku in a low, gleeful voice, "a hickey on her neck!"

Simultaneous grunts of surprise emitted from Renji, Iba, and Yumichika; Ikkaku was still wheezing with laughter. It wasn't long before he was joined by the others.

"Attagirl, Kagome-chan!" said Renji, slapping Kagome on the back; she almost fell over from the force of it.

"It appears our little Kagome-chan has finally grown up. What a beautiful moment," said Yumichika happily, wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye.

"Who're you calling 'little', you peacock?" demanded Kagome, embarrassed that everyone was getting so worked up by a mere hickey.

"Oh, _someone's_ getting upset," said Rangiku in a babyish voice, the expression on her face reminding Kagome of the cat that caught the canary.

Kagome grumbled when the strawberry-blonde leaned down, giving the lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division an eyeful of her bosom.

"So, so, who is he? C'mon, you can tell us!" said Rangiku pleadingly.

"I most certainly will not!" protested Kagome angrily.

"You can't keep your mystery man a mystery forever~!" sang Rangiku in a naughty voice, wagging her finger in Kagome's face.

She considered Kagome for a moment before saying, rather abruptly, "Have you done it yet?"

"Rangiku-san!" shrieked Kagome, actually jumping up from her seated position with horror.

"Heh, heh, look at her face," said Renji, smirking as Kagome's face turned the same color of his hair.

Nevertheless, he and the others watched Kagome eagerly, wanting to know if the innocent little woman wasn't so 'innocent' anymore.

"Whether I've done it or not is none of your business!" said Kagome loudly, her cheeks aflame.

Having had enough of the poking and prodding, she sent her friends an embarrassed glare and began to head for the door of the izakaya.

She turned around after several steps and said, pointing at them, "You all are a bunch of perverts!"

The group she had just left sent each other surprised looks and then burst out into raucous laughter.

Muttering under her breath and somewhat amused by her friends' nosiness, Kagome continued on her way to the door. Along the way, she snatched up the distressed onagadori rooster, who was in the process of being chased by a group of drunken shinigami wearing nothing but their fundoshi.

"Come along, chicken," she said in a dignifying manner. "We're going home."

The onagadori rooster, grateful to Kagome for being saved, merely shook his bright-red comb vigorously in answer.

-o-o-o-

**Author's Notes**

(1) Onagadori is a species of chicken bred in Japan. The roosters have especially long and elegant tails that do not molt, and they can come in several colors.

(2) 'Black hole' as in 'it will draw your eyes to it no matter what gender you are' type of thing

(3) The Gin Tonbo ('silver dragonfly') is an (expensive!) eyewear store in the Seireitei. This is where Renji gets all of his sunglasses, and is run by the ex-lieutenant of the Sixth Division.

(4) Not just in height, either… -_-; Here's a fact (which is usually true): you know if an anime or manga was created by a guy when the women's boobs are about the size of their heads.

-o-o-o-

I don't have anything clever to say right now (-_-;) so I'll just say 'thank you' and ask you to review. Me likey reviews! Me shut uppy now! There, that was like the weird stuff I usually say.

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


	20. Whisper of the Apocalypse

You really have Syc Fuk to thank for this update, because they would not leave me alone! By the way, Syc Fuk, while you weren't looking, I freed the characters you were holding hostage and you can never, ever steal them away again! Ha! And don't you even think about taking away any other favorites of mine, because they are being held in a safe location! Make one wrong move and Aslan gets it!

Anywhoos, here's the twentieth chapter of SUTAADASUTOO. Sorry if it seems a little rushed, since _someone_ was being rather annoying about wanting a new chapter. Eh-heeeeemmm! :3

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or InuYasha. … … … …Really, that's all I have to say. What, you expected a fight? Pfft! Nah!

"talking"

'_thinking_'

**Chapter XX: Whisper of the Apocalypse**

-o-o-o-

_Just for a moment  
He lets her see through the veil  
Of lies and darkness_

-o-o-o-

"I'd be happy to lend you a yukata, Higurashi-san," said a friendly Hinamori Momo, her arms full of folders. "But I have to drop these off at Aizen-taichou's office first. You're welcome to come along if you like; I don't think my captain will mind."

"Arigatou, Hinamori-chan," said Kagome gratefully, her face breaking into a relieved smile.

Kagome's search for a yukata to borrow for the Nagareboshi Matsuri had come up dry. Maybe that was because she had immediately gone to Kuchiki Rukia, who was much easier to access, though Kiyone would have been a good start too.

Rukia had invited Kagome over to the Kuchiki Manor in order to look at the collection of yukata she had for formal occasions. What Rukia had forgotten to mention, which hadn't surprised Kagome in the least, was that they were to have tea with her brother after looking through the clothes.

Kagome, panicked at the thought of having tea with said nobleman, had not been able to focus on choosing something to wear to the festival though there had undoubtedly been something suitable.

Having tea with Kuchiki Byakuya was like listening to fingers scratch across a blackboard or to millions of cicadas after they had crawled out of the ground. Nobody said _anything_. The three of them—Kagome, Rukia, and the mansion's lord—had sat at a low table and had sipped green tea out of clay cups for the better part of half an hour. The silence had been so deafening that Kagome had wanted to jump up, scream like a banshee, and tear off into the manor's yard to make her escape over the wall.

That was the last time Kagome was going to ask Rukia for anything. _Ever._

If she had known how much a pain in the ass trying to get a yukata from Kuchiki Rukia was, Kagome would have immediately gone to Hinamori or Kiyone. As it was, Kagome was only asking Momo such a favor because they were nearly the same size and she had had paperwork to drop off at the Fifth Division's barracks anyway—Momo was carrying it right now, despite Kagome's protests.

"So, I hear that you've gotten yourself a new pet?"

Snapping out of La-La-Land, Kagome blinked and said, "Huh? Oh, yeah, that's right…"

Momo smiled at Kagome as they walked through the wooden-floored hall of the Fifth Division's barracks, heading for Aizen Sousuke's office in the more business-like section.

"It's an onagadori, right? What color is it?" asked Momo curiously.

"He's red with green tail feathers. He's very pretty," said Kagome, smiling at the thought of her new roommate.

"A rooster?" said Momo with surprise. "Aren't they bad-tempered?"

Kagome shrugged and shook her head.

"I dunno. Ou-sama (King) seems well-mannered to me," she said dubiously.

"'Ou-sama'?" repeated Momo with amusement, her lips curling in as she tried not to grin at the name.

"I called him that one day when he was being all prissy and picky, and the name just stuck, I guess. He seems to know that he's a king, too," said Kagome, laughter evident in her voice.

Momo sighed.

"It's a pity you couldn't have brought him," she said ruefully. "I would have liked to have seen him."

"He was in one of his drama-king moods today. Thought his meal was unsatisfactory for him or something," Kagome sniffed. "Usually he likes to tag along with me on my rounds."

The onagadori rooster that she had rescued from the mostly-naked shinigami back in the izakaya had happily made itself at home in Kagome's quarters in the last several days. Although Kagome had made a little bed for the bird, she sometimes woke up to find the chicken resting on her pillow. Perhaps it was because she had rescued him from an uncertain fate that he was so well-mannered and loyal; this devotion was more evident during the day, when Ou-sama followed after Kagome's heels or rested in the medical pack (courtesy of Hanatarou) that Kagome wore in case he got tired.

Seeing Momo's fallen look, Kagome immediately tried to cheer the girl up.

"Oh! But I'll bring him around the next time he's ready to stop sulking, so you can see him then!" she said exuberantly, hoping that Hinamori's frown would lessen.

"Un!" said Momo, sending Kagome a small smile.

Kagome mentally wiped her forehead with relief; a sad Momo was a melancholy sight indeed.

Momo slowed to halt in front of a large shoji door in the hall; Kagome immediately figured that it was Aizen's office, judging from the door's resemblance to the one leading into Ukitake's and…_his_.

"Could you knock on the door for me, Kagome-san?" asked Momo, her arms wrapped tightly around the folders in her arms.

Kagome did as she was told, rapping sharply on the wooden frame of the door with her knuckle.

Momo, meanwhile, called out in a loud voice.

"Aizen-taichou, I have some paperwork for you! May I come in?"

The two of them waited for an answer, but all that met Hinamori's inquiry was silence.

"Maybe he's out?" Kagome suggested, glancing dubiously at the door.

"But Aizen-taichou is always in his office!" protested Momo.

Kagome sent the other girl a deadpanned look and said, in a dry tone, "He's not some household appliance, Momo-chan. He _can_ get up and go places if he needs to."

Momo sent Kagome a frown and said, "What I meant was that Aizen-taichou is always in his office when _I_ come to deliver paperwork or to report to him."

"Well, he doesn't appear to be in there now," said Kagome, ignoring the impetuous tone of the other girl.

She moved to open the door a crack, but was stopped when Hinamori let out a little shriek.

"Higurashi-san! What on earth do you think you're doing!" exclaimed Momo, her eyes bugging out with panic. "You can only go into a captain's office if you're invited!"

"And if said captain is somewhere else and cannot invite you in?" asked Kagome wryly.

"Well, uh…" said Momo, blinking with confusion; she obviously hadn't thought of it before.

"Good enough for me!" said Kagome happily, grabbing the hand slot on the door.

"Wait!" cried Momo, as the other threw open the door.

"Taa-daa!" said Kagome, sweeping her hands towards the interior of the room. "See? He's not in there. Now let's drop off the paperwork and get going."

"Um…" said Momo hesitantly. "Shouldn't we…wait for him to come back…?"

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes and then pound her head against the doorframe. It was well-known throughout the lieutenants of the Gotei 13 that Momo had an obsessive crush on her captain. While most of the time it was cute and endearing, sometimes it was just a real pain in the ass.

"No, because we're just dropping off paperwork," answered Kagome, her eyebrow twitching with irritation.

She moved her foot towards the entrance of Aizen's office, watching for Momo's reaction.

"Don't you dare!" gasped Hinamori, her brow furrowing with anger.

"Or what?" asked Kagome, a devious grin spreading across her face as she moved her foot even closer to the office.

"Or I'll—! I'll—!" stammered Momo, her face turning red with anger.

"I'm gonna do it…!" said Kagome teasingly, moving her foot mere centimeters from the entrance of the office.

"You'd better not!" cried Momo furiously.

"Here I go…! Ready or not…! I'm _almost_ there…!" continued Kagome, her grin widening to the point she looked like the Cheshire cat.

She was abruptly cut off when Hinamori rammed into her in an attempt to stop her with a loud, "Iya!"

Momo, like Kagome, obviously didn't have a sense of direction. She had probably meant to knock Kagome aside, but that wasn't the case.

Both girls went sprawling into Aizen's office. Kagome landed on her back with an 'oof!', while Momo landed on top of her, color-coded folders scattering everywhere. An especially large amount of messy folders ended up on Kagome's face.

With a groan, Kagome thought, '_Mission accomplished. I got her in._'

"Hinamori-kun? What are you doing on the floor of my office?"

Both girls froze at the sound of the Fifth Division captain's voice and then scrambled to get up.

"S-sumimasen, A-aizen-taichou!" stuttered Momo, rolling off of Kagome and trying, unsuccessfully, to get the folders up. "W-we'll get this cleaned up r-right away!"

Kagome was trying to dig her way out of the folders lying on top of her head. No matter how hard she tried to get out, there always seemed to a huge pile of paperwork on her head. That stack of folders must have been bigger than she thought.

"And who is 'we', Hinamori-kun?" asked Aizen with amusement.

"'We' as in Hinamori-fukutaichou and myself, Aizen-taichou," said Kagome, managing to raise a hand out of the depths of the folders. "It's Higurashi Kagome."

"Oh, Higurashi-kun, I did not recognize you!" said Aizen playfully.

Kagome sweatdropped and said, "That would be because my face is full of folders, Aizen-taichou."

With a gasp, she managed to surface from the folders and breathe freely. Looking up, she saw that Aizen was looking down at both girls with amusement, his chocolate-brown eyes twinkling behind his scholarly glasses.

Kagome plucked a folder from off the top of her head and immediately began helping Hinamori pick up the folders from the floor. Every time Aizen made a move to help them, Momo would nervously assure him that they would do it, while Kagome merely sent him apologetic smiles.

Within a minute, both girls held a messy, disheveled stack of folders.

"Oh dear…" whimpered Momo, seeing the state of the paperwork. "It'll take forever to sort it all out!"

The young woman began to tremble, her eyes large and wide with the prospect of sorting out the mess. Kagome was immediately sorry that she goaded the girl into knocking them into the office and began to panic when she saw that Hinamori was on the verge of hysterical tears, but so too did Aizen, who came to the rescue.

"It's quite alright, Hinamori-kun," soothed the captain, putting a hand on the slight girl's shoulder in an affectionate manner. "Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Momo whimpered and gulped, nodding her head before obediently doing as she was told. Kagome watched in amazement as her fellow lieutenant instantly changed from a nervous, panicked wreck to a tranquil—more or less—and optimistic—mostly—individual. The color in her cheeks, which had drained away in her anxiety, was now slowly returning, perhaps even more than before now that her superior was present.

"There now," said Aizen, smiling down at his lieutenant. "And look, the folders aren't as disorganized as they appear. See?"

Kagome looked down at her own stack of folders and saw that he was right. The papers, although sticking out every which way, had stayed in their respective piles since they were being held in place by their fellows. They merely needed to be straightened out. In Kagome's eye, this stroke of fortune was damned lucky, especially considering that the incident involved Hinamori—the younger girl was actually quite sensitive.

Momo smiled slightly, her features still gripped by the aftereffects of her earlier panic.

"Yes, you're right, taichou!" she said, happiness filling her voice. "We'll get these straightened out right away!"

She proceeded to look around for a place to accomplish this, her head moving this way and that.

Seeing her predicament, Aizen said, "Go ahead and use my desk, Hinamori-kun."

Momo went wide-eyed and stared at her captain as if he had suggested she stab him in the heart.

"Oh no, Aizen-taichou, we couldn't possibly—" she began.

"_Thank you_, Aizen-taichou," interrupted Kagome smoothly, brushing past Hinamori and placing the folders on Aizen's desk.

She opened the first of the folders and took out its contents, shuffling and tapping them into neatness. Momo stared at her indecisively for a moment, looking back and forth between her colleague and superior. At a nod from Aizen, the young woman joined Kagome at the desk and began tidying up her own folders.

"So tell me, Higurashi-kun," began Aizen amiably, striding over to the window behind his desk and looking out, "are you looking forward to the Nagareboshi Matsuri?"

Kagome half-shrugged as she took out another stack of folders, despite the fact that she knew the captain couldn't see the gesture.

"I suppose," she said, frowning a little at her indifference towards the festival.

Aizen turned from the window and looked at her.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic," he said humorously, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"It's just that it's the same every year," Kagome explained in an elusive, nervous manner.

She wasn't going to admit to a captain that she didn't like going to the festival because she was extremely uncomfortable with the _things_ that occurred during the night-long celebration period. People running around without their clothes on was the least of her problems—she had stumbled upon a drunken couple having sex in the bushes more than once, to her eternal humiliation.

"But you're going to wear a yukata this year!" Momo spoke up. "Surely something changed!"

"Kotetsu-fukutaichou managed to persuade me to wear one," grumbled Kagome, taking the papers out of the last folder in her stack. "It's hard to say 'no' to her when she's giving you her puppy-dog eyes."

"Eh? She's always so professional around me," said Hinamori, pouting slightly. "Even during the Women's Association meetings."

Kagome didn't know exactly how to respond to that. Maybe it was because Isane was a mature, responsible individual (in contrast to her _slightly_ immature sister). Momo was responsible, but she was well-known for her naivety and gullibility; the girl looked up if you pointed at the ceiling, for goodness' sake! Perhaps Isane was hoping some of her maturity would rub off on Hinamori before the younger girl got hurt.

"There!" said Kagome instead, sliding the newly-straightened paperwork back into its folder. "All done!"

She smiled at Momo, who smiled back. Good; the 'Isane' thing hadn't bothered her.

Hinamori finished her last folder seconds behind Kagome. At an expectant look from the childish-looking girl, Kagome handed over her own files and Momo placed them on top of her pile. Then Hinamori set the whole stack down square in the middle of Aizen's side of the desk, smiling triumphantly.

"Finished!" she chirped, looking up at her captain with adoration in her large eyes.

Aizen smiled with affection down at his subordinate from beside the window, the light illuminating the chocolate color in his irises to a melted brown. For a moment, Kagome could see why Momo devoted her life to this man; he was handsome and kind, something a girl like Hinamori wanted in a male.

With a sudden clarity, Kagome realized that he _wasn't_ what she looked for in a man, not that she was attracted to the captain or anything. If she didn't want a handsome and kind man for a companion, then what _did_ she want?

An image of Ichimaru flashed in her mind from deep within her subconscious, causing a dusting of red to appear on her cheeks.

'_Absolutely not!_' she practically screeched at it. '_I do not find that sneaky, fox-faced bastard appealing in the least!_'

The little demon that was her subconscious seemed to snigger at her and say, in an eerily familiar phrase, '_Who are ya tryin' to convince, Kagome-chan? Me? Or yerself?_'

"Higurashi-san?"

Blinking, Kagome looked over at Momo, who was looking at her with a sort of expectation.

"Un?" she grunted, trying to shake the remnants of her unconscious from her head.

"You ready to go?" asked Hinamori, looking at her fellow lieutenant dubiously. "We have so many yukata to look at."

'_Oh goody,_' thought Kagome dryly.

She nodded in response to Momo's question and the two of them turned to Aizen.

"Thank you so much for letting us use your desk, Aizen-taichou!" said Momo gratefully, bowing deeply towards her superior. "We will be on our way now."

Kagome bowed too, more to appease Hinamori than Aizen.

"You're very welcome, Hinamori-kun," said Aizen with a laugh in his voice. "You may go now."

Momo smiled happily, a blush dusting her cheeks. Like a little dog, she obediently scurried to the door and almost seemed to wag her tail.

"C'mon, Higurashi-san! I think I have the perfect yukata for you to borrow!" she said in an excited voice.

Kagome watched with a mixture of amusement and exasperation as the other girl darted out into the hallway to wait for her. Shaking her head slightly at Hinamori's antics, she sighed and turned to Aizen.

"Good afternoon, Aizen-taichou," she said politely, bowing again and then heading towards the door.

She didn't know whether to expect a response or not, since subordinates excused themselves by saying such things. It was polite to reciprocate the excuse and often boosted the moral of said subordinates, but a captain wasn't _required_ to respond. That was why Kagome was slightly surprised when she heard Aizen speak.

"Good afternoon, Higurashi-kun."

Something about his voice made her pause.

Stopping in the doorway, she looked back with a perplexed expression, wondering why Aizen would speak with such a tone—it was almost as if he were…_darkly amused_. What she saw confused her further.

Gone was the warm, caring light in Aizen's brown eyes, replaced by a glassy, almost manic look. The corners of his lips were lifted up into what appeared to be a mocking smirk, as if he thought Hinamori's actions were pathetically amusing. Kagome was shocked at how sinister he looked.

Then, he seemed to shift slightly by his place by the window, and the alarming new aspects of his face melted into his regular features. A surge of relief went up in Kagome when she saw the familiar friendly expression on the captain's face.

But still… What had she just seen…?

"Is there something the matter, Higurashi-kun?" asked Aizen with what seemed to be genuine concern.

Kagome realized that she had been staring.

"I-iya…" she stuttered, trying to recover from the surprise of what she had just seen. "It's nothing. Have a good day, Aizen-taichou."

Aizen smiled and lifted a hand in farewell while she turned and joined Hinamori in the hall. The other lieutenant took one look at her and seemed to be overcome with worry.

"Are you alright, Higurashi-san? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"I'm fine, Hinamori-chan," soothed Kagome, not wanting Momo to go 'mother-hen' on her.

"Well, if you say so…" said Momo doubtfully, her eyes still reflecting her anxiety.

"I am, really. Now, why don't you show me this yukata you mentioned?" asked Kagome, eager to steer the conversation away from the strange moment with Aizen.

"Of course!" cried Hinamori happily, clapping her hands together and starting off down the hall; Kagome had to hurry to catch up with her. "It's blue and it has…"

The rest of the words faded into oblivion as Kagome found herself wondering at what had just happened back there in Aizen's office. The captain's face definitely seemed to have changed into something more sinister than she had expected on such a friendly individual's features. Why had it changed?

Surely it had been a trick of the light, a mere play of shadows across his face. It was afternoon, after all, and the sunlight was starting to come in from behind him.

'_Yeah, that's what it was,_' thought Kagome unconvincingly, remembering the almost power-hungry look in those brown eyes. '_Just a trick of the light…_'

_**Owari**_

-o-o-o-

And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this update. I swear I did not mean to put it off as long as I did, but I got on a Harry Potter xover idea, it wouldn't leave me alone, etc. I admit I was a little lazy getting back to this, but my brainstorms mostly got in the way.

Remember to review, 'cause I love 'em so! XD

Until next time, ja ne! ^.^


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